Laws on the Books Concerning Nursing Home Abuse in Tennessee & Nursing Home Abuse Statistics in NC

May 10th, 2010 admin Posted in health reform Comments Off

1.6 million families in Tennessee and around the United States turn to nursing homes to care for their elderly loved ones. The number is expected to rise to 5 million over the next thirty years, as the baby boomer population ages. While families chose nursing care with an expectation of professionalism, kindness and compassion, there is a dark side to nursing homes: neglect and abuse.

Abuse violations include physical, emotional and sexual abuse, as well as neglect. According to a 2001 Congressional Report, one in three U.S. nursing homes have been cited for abuse. These types of violations are especially insidious since elderly and disabled residents are unable to protect themselves from an attack. In many cases, they are not even able to communicate the abuse they have suffered to their family members, and hence they have neither recourse against nor protection from future abuse.

What is being done to protect Tennessee residents from falling victim to this kind of abuse? First, there are a number of laws on the books in Tennessee. For example, all staff must pass a criminal background check and all nursing homes are subject to annual or more frequent inspections by the department of health. Furthermore, Tennesseans are protected by national nursing home laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Nursing Home Reform Act.

These two laws mandate, among other things, that patients must be given freedom and must receive respect for their persons, and their personal property and possessions.

If you suspect that you or a family member has been the victim of abuse or neglect, you can report the incident via state agencies such as the Tennessee Department of Health. The health department has licensing oversight for nursing homes and can revoke a home’s license if it is found to be in severe violation of state and national law.

In addition to reporting the incident to the state agency, you should also contact a local lawyer experienced with cases of nursing home abuse and neglect in Tennessee. Your Tennessee nursing home abuse lawyer will work with you on filing your claim with the state authorities, will advise you on the variety of legal issues, and will advocate for you as you seek monetary compensation for the neglect and abuse you or your loved one experienced.

Families in North Carolina and around the country turn to nursing homes to provide care and attention to their elderly loved ones. But all too often families’ expectation for professionalism, kindness and compassion is replaced with a shocking reality: abuse.

Abuse violations are a serious concern in nursing homes across the United States, and North Carolina facilities are no exception. These types of violations are particularly grievous since elderly and disabled residents are unable to protect themselves from an attack. In many cases, they are not even able to communicate the abuse they have suffered to their family members, and hence have neither recourse nor protection from future abuse.

According to a 2001 Congressional report, more than 9,000 nursing home abuse reports were filed in the two-year period between January 1999 and January 2001. Of these 9,000 reports, more than 2,500 were severe enough to place residents in immediate jeopardy of death or serious injury. Reported types of abuse include sexual, physical and verbal.

Nursing home neglect is another significant area of abuse, and can range from failure to provide medications according to the doctor-prescribed schedule to withholding food and even water from patients. Dehydration and death have occurred as a result of this type of neglect.

Also according to the Congressional report, which was spearheaded by Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA), the number of nursing homes that is cited for abuse is increasing, and has been every year since 1996. For example, the number of nursing homes cited for abuse during annual inspections more than doubled between 1996 and 2000.

While these national statistics are appalling, of even greater concern are the incidents of unreported abuse. In fact, officials believe that abuse is grossly underreported; some experts even say that the majority of abuse incidents go unreported. At particular risk are nursing home patients without the mental or physical faculties to be aware of — or even to articulate — the abuse they are suffering at the hands of their supposed caregivers.

Nationwide, one-third of the U.S.’s 1,600 nursing homes were cited for an abuse violation that had the potential to cause harm or death. This heart-wrenching statistic has devastating consequences for a state like North Carolina, which has over 37,000 of its residents living in nursing homes, according to a census conducted in 2002.

The reality is grim for North Carolina seniors, since one out of every three residents over the age of eighty-five lives in a nursing home. Given the national rates of nursing home abuse, North Carolinians are undoubtedly at risk. If you or a loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, please contact a qualified attorney. Your lawyer can help you to get the compensation you deserve for your mistreatment, abuse and neglect.

Nick Johnson
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/laws-on-the-books-concerning-nursing-home-abuse-in-tennessee-nursing-home-abuse-statistics-in-nc-127257.html

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Scare Mongering Juggernaut Sacked! Now What?

May 7th, 2010 admin Posted in health reform Comments Off

The Chickens have home to roost, so to speak. The corrupt Republican smear & scare mongering juggernaut has been sacked!

A strong Democratic onslaught has left the “Quarterback” limping badly, and his “Receivers” are scattered all over the political playing field.

Throw in Pastor Ted Haggard’s Methamphetamine laced gay sex scandal, and not even a “Saddam Finale” could rescue the Republicans.

Over the last three weeks the Republican strategy has been basically a chorus of fear mongering and the raining of shameless, desperate and Racist ads into our living rooms. Here goes:

– A win for the Dems is a win for terrorists!

– Nancy Pelosi is an “Extreme Liberal” from “Gay San Francisco!”

– Oh my God! Charlie Rangel (a black Congressman) will be running the Ways & Means Committee!

– The Dems will raise your taxes!

– 20 million “filthy” immigrants have invaded us and are tearing this country asunder!

Profane and blasphemous inflammations!

The American people are not that stupid after all, they are tired of being treated like fools, and have issued a strong rebuke to this arrogant and grossly incompetent Republican administration.

Never in my life have I ever witnessed a political machine so perfectly “precisioned,” yet so dangerously flawed, but as the wise have said before—”a thief has forty days!”

The story of the Republican party in the last six years has similarities to the proverbial boy who liked to cry “Wolf!” pretending that he was going to be eaten by a wolf. When people came running to help him, they found the boy laughing because he was not really in danger. This happened a number of times until people stopped believing him when he cried, “Wolf!” Finally, the boy was attacked by a real wolf and no one came to save him because they all thought he was just crying wolf.

The real wolf in this instance is the Democratic Party and the fed up people are Americans(excluding the right wing nuts).

The people have had enough of this charade and have clearly indicated that they want change.

It’s neither a total Democratic avalanche nor is it a revolution, but a clear sign that the majority are fed up with being hoodwinked, cajoled and demeaned.

Having said the above, now what?

The primary issue at hand is Iraq—It is very clear that this ill-conceived and badly executed war is being poorly managed and a looming confrontation between George Bush and Congress is simmering.

Sources indicate that this government, faced with a “Vietnam” like failure, is pondering partitioning Iraq into three autonomous regions. The Baker commission, a bi-partisan “Iraq study group” set up by Congress and led by former Secretary of State James Baker, to study the hopeless situation in Iraq, is set to recommend to the Bush government to split Iraq into three regions, namely Kurdish, Shi’ite, and Sunni.

Classic “Divide and Rule” Imperialism

The invasion of Iraq was an imperialist act cleverly camouflaged under the fear of terror. Dividing a country to “win” is a well known tactic, perfected by colonial Europeans notably “Master Imperialist” Great Britain, during and after the World Wars. A thieving tactic whose primary aim is to maintain exclusive control of natural resources and to impose economic and cultural imperialism even after withdrawal—Mr. Bush calls it “Spreading Democracy.”

If the Baker commission recommends the partitioning of Iraq, the issue for the Bush government will not be the equitable division of oil wealth to the three Iraqi sectarian groups, but rather how much of this oil wealth will Bush’s squad of “Hyena” oil cronies control and exploit.

Colluding with the Kurds will be relatively easy, but the Shi’ites and their Iranian brothers will be tough nut to crack, meanwhile the Sunni’s who had previously enjoyed Saddam Hussein’s patronage for years, will not take it lying down.

Expect the bloodshed to triple the current levels—Imperialism has met a brick wall.

Thousands of lives of brave American soldiers and innocent Iraqi civilians have been lost in vain, for it is impossible to win this war. Some form of retreat is the only way out. If 140,000 troops have not been able to “win” in three years, I don’t see them doing so in ten years.

For the record, Colin Powell, a decorated military general warned them prior to go to war: “you break it, you own it.”

In two years, if this administration does not clean up it’s act, I see George Bush withdrawing from Iraq….in utter shame, and in the process cementing his place in history as one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States—the president who wantonly destroyed one of the oldest civilizations in the world—Mesopotamia.

While Bill Clinton will succeed in repairing his legacy, besmirched by a sexual encounter, I do not see Bush doing likewise even if he attempts to, for his is tainted in blood, plus he neither has the propensity nor the capacity to rally anyone in the world to his side, and he seems determined to “stay the course,” to nowhere. A Democratic Congress salivating in the mouth like a starved “Nile crocodile,” will just make it worse for him if he doesn’t toe the line.

There are several other domestic issues to be tackled including Health Care, Social Security Reform and notably Immigration.

If the Republican party keeps on insisting that the millions immigrants who are already here be deported summarily, without any humane considerations as to whether they have built strong roots and affiliations in this country, they can kiss the Latino and all other future “immigrant votes” goodbye, permanently.

If the Democrats grab this opportunity and play their cards right over the next 2+ years, the Republican team may be punting into the stands for many years to come.

James Opiko
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/scare-mongering-juggernaut-sacked-now-what-73105.html

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A Balanced Strategy: Reprogramming Ngos and Enhancing Their Relevance as Development Partners in Sierra Leone

May 5th, 2010 admin Posted in health reform Comments Off

What should be the defining principle of the Koroma administration National Development Strategy is balance. President Koroma cannot expect to eliminate national development challenges through a unilateral political agenda, to do everything and coordinate everything based on his All People’s Congress (APC) party ideology. His APC party with its “corporate agenda” for Sierra Leone rolled over the incumbent Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) in a run-off that reflected the expectations and desires of a majority of Sierra Leoneans for far-reaching socio-economic change, institutional reform and full inclusion of the mostly youth and indigenous poor. If Koroma is to succeed to reduce Sierra Leone’s grinding poverty and the creation of a more effective, inclusive and just state, however—and he must if his leadership is going to be different from the SLPP administration it replaced—he will need to set priorities and consider trade-offs and show understanding and offer support as he grapples with explosive issues of judicial reforms, corruption and development policy.

The strategy strives for balance in three areas: between trying to prevail in eliminating corruption in his government and preparing for other contingencies; between institutionalizing capabilities such as nongovernmental engagement and supporting the relevance of NGOs as development stakeholders and maintaining NGO’s existing organizational independence and strategic edge in terms of advancing national development objectives through community involvement; and between retaining those cultural traits that have made grassroots involvement in development work possible and discouraging behaviors of NGOs that hamper their ability to do what needs to be done. “In its broadest sense, the term “nongovernment organization” [NGO] refers to organizations (i) not based in government; (ii) not created for financial or material gain; but (iii) created to address concerns such as social and humanitarian issues of development, individual and community welfare and well-being, disadvantage, and poverty, as well as environmental and natural resources protection, management, and improvement” (Asian Development Bank).

Strategic Thinking

The Koroma administration’s ability to deal with performance problems of NGOs will depend on its capacity in handling corruption in government. To be blunt, to fail—or to be seen to fail—in addressing corruption in government would be a disastrous blow to the APC party credibility, both among party supporters and voters and among opposition adversaries. Sierra Leoneans want to see serious effort to address corruption and the injustices of the legal system in the country—and the people of Sierra Leone have lost all patience in this regard. Still, there will continue to be high expectations for Koroma’s zero-tolerance against corruption to be seen to work in Sierra Leone.

Given its endemic nature, corruption, poverty, and the tragic history of violence, Sierra Leone in many ways poses an even more complex and difficult long-term challenge—one that, despite a strong rhetorical effort, will require significant determination and commitment to punish drastically for crimes of corruption for some time. And given the country’s ever changing political game, the resounding victory of Ernest Koroma in the 2007 run-off elections could prove just another wrong turn along the road going nowhere. Sierra Leoneans have already started to question the leadership of Koroma, who in his inauguration in September 2007 announced his zero-tolerance stance against corruption, but “has not had a lot of luck with his cabinet” (The Africa Report). The instances of presumed corruption and shady dealings [the controversial Income Electrix power deal, the suspended Transport Minister Ibrahim Kemoh Sesay 700kg haul of cocaine deal, and the Attorney General Abdul Serry-Kamal Seventy Five Billion Leones Wanza saga] confirm the self-seeking and predatory activities of APC officials, “and that despite the best intentions announced by President Koroma, he [seems to] lack the moral standing and political backbone to implement his ‘zero-tolerance’ policy for corruption and his call for accountability of his cabinet” (The New People Newspaper).  Koroma still has to demonstrate he is following a drummer different from that of every Sierra Leonean leader of the past 45 years.

What is dubbed the war on corruption is, in grim reality, a prolonged, nationwide conventional campaign—a struggle between the forces of blatant corruption and those of moderation. Direct ACC engagement will continue to play a role in the long-term effort against corrupt officials in government and the private sector. But over the short term, a determined leadership may have to use draconian rules of engagement to ending corruption in Sierra Leone. Where possible, what the ACC calls prompt service in addressing corruption cases  should be subordinated to concrete measures by a strong presidency aimed at definitely promoting better governance, economic programs that spur development, and efforts to address the grievances among the discontented which justified the civil conflict that so badly destroyed the social fabric of Sierra Leone over the years. It will take the active engagement as well of NGOs in a collaborative effort over a long time to educate, rebuild and advance infrastructural development objectives.

Sierra Leone is unlikely to experience another civil war—justifiable by the injustices resulting from bad governance and rampant corruption—anytime soon. But that does not mean it may not face similar challenges in a variety of locales. Where possible, a government strategy is to employ indirect approaches—primarily through building the capacity of partner NGOs and their administrative processes—to prevent festering problems from turning into crises that require costly and controversial direct civil conflict. In this kind of effort, the capabilities of the government’s allies and NGO partners may be as important as its own, and building their capacity is arguably as important as, if not more so than, the partisan bickering the government has to deal with.

The recent past vividly demonstrated the consequences of failing to address adequately the dangers posed by bad governance. Rebel networks found sympathy among Sierra Leoneans and strength within the chaos of social breakdown. The small-arms infested State quickly collapsed into chaos and criminality and the worst of catastrophes befell the Sierra Leone homeland—towns and villages were reduced to rubble by rebel attacks as a result of the failed State. The kinds of capabilities needed to deal with such a historically dismal scenario cannot therefore any longer be played down with political rhetoric. Even the smallest of crimes of corruption should require stringent and uncompromising methods of investigations and punishment to avoid this failed State scenario. As Transparency International chair Huguette Labelle has noted, “Stemming corruption requires strong oversight through parliaments, law enforcement, independent media and a vibrant civil society. When these institutions are weak, corruption spirals out of control with horrendous consequences for ordinary people and for justice and equality in societies more broadly” (NGLS Go Between).

In many ways, the country’s national development capabilities are still coping with the consequences of the 1990s, when, with the complicity of the civil war, key instruments of the government of Sierra Leone regulatory mechanisms were reduced or allowed to wither on the corridors of power.  

“Sierra Leone has been a major recipient of foreign aid since the end of a devastating 11-year civil war in 2002. But government, donors and citizens are all questioning how effectively this aid is being used. Allegations of misappropriation of donor funds, both by government actors and NGOs, threaten this inflow. One of the government’s principal partners, the British Department for International Development, withheld aid in protest against such anomalies, for most of 2007 and early 2008 (Fofana/IPS, Freetown). Besides, the Government of Sierra Leone has not maintained a constructive relationship with NGOs.  However, the global push towards reducing poverty has created a new convergence among development practitioners and policymakers as the means of increasing access to new initiatives that will promote good governance and help reduce poverty. Citizen participation has increasingly been taken seriously to increase opportunity for lower income and other excluded populations whose interest are marginalized in classic representative institutions to influence policymaking processes. The government is beginning to appreciate the relevance of civil society in development—that community development lies at the heart of a strong, association-based civil society.

In this regard, the Koroma administration can assume more of the tasks of fostering effective collaboration with local and international NGOs for peace, security and development. To truly achieve victory as the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness defined it –“to bring new voices into a review of how aid is managed, and to sketch out a course for greater transparency, accountability and ultimately impact on the lives of the world’s poor—to attain a political objective” (Fofana/IPS, Freetown)–the Sierra Leone Government needs an NGO Coordination Unit whose ability to facilitate the diversion of huge donor funds to the NGO community is matched by its ability to use active evaluations and reviews as learning tools for itself and its development partners.  “The role of the Sierra Leone Association of NGOs (SLANGO), formed in January 1994, to coordinate NGO activities in order that efforts are not duplicated and resources not wasted” (BNET Business Network) has to be differentiated from what the NGO Unit at MODEP is doing; also to understand SLANGO’s relevance in development work.

Given these realities, the NGO Unit of MODEP has, however, been seen to make some impressive strides in recent years. “The revised National NGO Policy following the wide range of consultations held at national and regional levels with the involvement of all stakeholders especially the NGO Community, Line Ministries and Civil Society in the preparation of the policy [was a laudable effort]. The NGO Unit facilitated several meetings with other ministries particularly the Ministry of Finance, the National Revenue Authority (NRA), the Ministry of Labor and other stakeholders to discuss among other things: Duty Free Concessions, Resident/Work Permits and Taxation etc.” (NGO Unit/MODEP).

It can also be suggested that a New Development Operations Manual for a New National Development Strategy is developed to incorporate the lessons of recent years in NGO service delivery doctrine. “Train and equip” programs will allow for quicker improvements in the development capacity of partner organizations. And various initiatives should be undertaken that will better integrate and coordinate government efforts with civilian society agencies as well as engage the expertise of the private sector, including nongovernmental organizations and academia.

Organizational Problems in Perspective

Even as international NGOs hone and institutionalize new and modern management methods, the Sierra Leone Government still has to contend with the organizational challenges posed by local NGOs. The images of NGOs seen by many local people as corrupt and undeserving of support are a reminder that these Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and their management processes do still matter.  NGOs in the country should be seen to improve their and several partners’ documentation of results, including the development of good monitoring indicators.

In addition, there is the potentially toxic mix of inadequate financial management of NGOs and inadequate reporting on budgetary issues to the Government of Sierra Leone’s NGO Unit. What all these problems portend is that the monitoring of development aid continues to be a major challenge for Sierra Leone and that a thorough framework of monitoring both recurrent and development activities must be put in place. The Government of Sierra Leone cannot take these organizational issues of NGOs for granted and needs to invest in the programs, platforms, and personnel that will ensure their relevance as development stakeholders.

But it is also important to keep some perspective. As much as the MODEP’s NGO Unit has come up with revised policy regulations with collated information in respect of funds disbursed by donors to NGOs for the implementation of programs it must be remembered that what is driving MODEP is a desire to exorcise the sloppy performance of NGOs over the years and to make them more relevant as development stakeholders—not an ideologically driven campaign to micro manage NGOs in the country. “Understandably, the logic behind massive NGO presence in Sierra Leone was to create a civic culture, pluralize the political, economic and social arena and bridge the gap between the masses and the State. So NGOs thus act as intermediaries between, what donors call ‘the unorganized masses’ and the State and are expected to represent the people and express their voices in policymaking. In fact, among NGOs is a small sector of voluntary organizations that genuinely monitor regimes, engage in advocacy on behalf of the poor and serves as watchdogs in ensuring that government contractors deliver services”.

It is true that the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) with clear link to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is the main focus of Government and its development partners. “The PRSP calls for pro-poor sustainable growth. However, achieving this means maintaining macro-economic stability IMF-style with low inflation and strict fiscal deficits, despite research by CSOs and development agencies which seriously question the poverty impact of these types of policies” (European Network on Debt and Development). NGOs’ participation was recognized in the process. NGOs could now play an active role in the implementation process by shifting their interventions and assistance from relief/humanitarian programs to sustainable infrastructural development programs. Answerability and transparency, adequate financial management and adequate budgetary reporting are to be the watch words in the new dispensation.

NGOs in Sierra Leone may have their organizational problems, but they can be quite relevant stakeholders in promoting people’s participation in poverty reduction programs. Use of funds has not been cost effective for most NGOs but the thematic areas most of these NGOs focus on (health, education, skills development, micro-finance, skills training, etc.), are relevant for the end users that are often poor and vulnerable children, youth and women. These are priority support areas that are in accordance with Sierra Leone’s development priorities and the PRSP as well international development agencies’ priorities.

Now that the performance bar has to be raised for the government and NGOs following their dismal performance in terms of handling aid money, the Sierra Leone Government must now endeavor to maintain a credible strategic relationship with NGOs through effectively evaluating, reviewing and monitoring their activities. Toward this end, the steps the NGO Unit at MODEP is taking to return excellence and accountability to NGO stewardship are commendable. Presidential and Parliamentary oversight may also be necessary for a more reliable and sustainable NGO Unit coordination effort.

When thinking about the range of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of non-governmental organizations as development partners in Sierra Leone it is reasonable to understand that NGOs come in many shapes and sizes. Data used in the SWOT analysis stem from multiple sources including statistical reports, literature review, regulations and policies, and research articles by NGO professionals. These findings should provide a valuable reference for the Government and the international development community who are interested in developing excellence in the civil society organization which interestingly can provide some feed back into the effectiveness aspects of the development analysis.

Strengths

Grassroots (local) NGOs

  • Have a positive presence on the ground.
  • Demonstrate ability to seek common ground and commitment to poor and marginalized grassroots populations.
  • Enjoy confidence and trust of local populations.
  • Have experience-based knowledge of cultural, political and socio-economic conditions of indigenous populations.
  • Understand vulnerabilities unique to local beneficiaries.
  • Can achieve extreme flexibility with fewer resources and lower costs.
  • Possess valuable experience, content and fundamental working knowledge about local trade issues and business contacts in their field.

International NGOs

  • Have global appeal and have developed industry-wide reputation for positive work.
  • Good at generating and mobilizing resources and core competencies for their operations.
  • Ability to resolve issues of legitimacy and to address political and policy constraints.
  • Ability to harness expert opinion to influence public opinion and policy-makers.
  • Have paid core staff to ensure the quality of project work.
  • Possess valuable experience, content and fundamental working knowledge about international trade issues and the labor market and business contacts in their field.

Weaknesses

Grassroots (local) NGOs

  • May have limited financial and expert resources to support end-user development.
  • May have limited strategic perspectives and weak linkages with other actors in development.
  • May have limited managerial and organizational capacities.
  • May sometimes miss the big picture on macro perspectives on capital markets, economy and geopolitics vis-à-vis community development.
  • Indigenous NGO operators may be prone to corruption.
  • Because of their voluntary nature, there may be questions regarding their accountability and credibility.
  • May have difficulty managing operations on financially sustainable basis.
  • Are not sustainable on membership fees alone.

International NGOs

  • Some advocacy NGOs working to influence the policies and practices of governments, development institutions have limited implementation capacity.
  • Questions sometimes arise concerning their motivations and objectives, and the degree of accountability they accept for the ultimate impact of policies and positions they advocate. Sometimes accused of “selling out” when they work with government or corporations.
  • May find it hard to placate or manipulate special interests.
  •  Suffer fluctuations in maintaining non-profit donations revenue streams.
  • May have limited experience with poor populations and operations may not reflect the needs of communities.

Opportunities

Grassroots NGOs

  • Can effectively work with community partners to assess local problems and opportunities and to promote export development programs.
  •  Ability to implement successful training programs and advance participatory development.
  • Ability to integrate their local expertise and experience in health and education initiatives in community development programs.
  • Can be clearing-houses for local trade information.

International NGOs

  • Ability to work out credible partnerships with government and private corporations to mobilize public opinion to increase influence on poverty reduction programs and trade issues.
  • Effective at bringing the voice of efficient organizational practices into NGO work in developing countries.
  • Ability to contribute sector-specific expertise to help producers add value, improve quality and find new export markets.
  • Quite familiar with political and social accountability mechanisms that complement their interventions and advocacy work.

Threats

Grassroots NGOs

  • Isolated and poorly coordinated efforts may have negative program outcomes.
  • Lackluster relationship with trade and export development corporations causing unsustainable initiatives and lack of trade development solutions.
  • Lacks technical capacity to connect poor people with trade and export opportunities.I

International NGOs

  • Tendency to ignore the voices of the poor represented by the experience and professional input of local agencies when defining the dialogue and public understanding of trade and development issues.
  • Inclination to compete by lobbying against one another thereby distracting policy-makers on major issues.
  • Often accused of hijacking the macroeconomic policy making dominated by technocrats and external consultants in the process.

Overall, by sorting the SWOT issues of grassroots (local) and international NGOs into planning categories one can obtain a system which presents a practical way of assimilating the internal and external information about NGO work in Sierra Leone, delineating short and long term priorities, and defining and developing coordinated, goal-directed actions, and allowing an easy way to build management teams which can achieve the objectives of development growth and the essence of civil society. In reality, as the philosopher Michael Ignatieff has noted “without civil society, democracy remains an empty shell”. One can expect to see the efficacy of Civil Society Organizations to influence members of the wider public that adhere to their values and beliefs to engage in development programs at State and community levels.

Therefore, notwithstanding local NGO’s relatively dismal record they are still clearly quite relevant to the development equation. NGOs strengths can be harnessed with well coordinated capacity building programs.  Conversely, international NGOs can develop a partner strategy of supporting and working through strong professional local partners as an effective tool for having a greater development impact than being a self-implementing agency. NGOs can also be very effective as learning organizations by providing important support to build their own staff’s and partners’ capacities, through individual training activities, annual partner meetings and conferences, learning exchange between partners, and partner self-assessments of training needs.  Moreover, NGOs can also be very effective with regular active evaluations and reviews as learning tools for themselves and their partners.

Just as one can expect learning should be at the heart of these organizations, so too, should the Government of Sierra Leone seek a better balance in the portfolio of capabilities it has—the types of programs against corruption in government fielded, the punishment in place for crimes of corruption, the training done.

Moreover, given the development challenges Sierra Leone is struggling with—and given, for example, the struggles to field up hospitals and clinics, schools and colleges, maintenance of urban and rural roads, and the HIV threats to the society—the time has come to think hard about how to institutionalize the capabilities of NGOs and get them adequately fielded quickly. The NGO policy modernization programs of the NGO Unit at MODEP should seek a 99 percent solution to the organizational limitations of NGOs in the country and to build the kind of innovative thinking and flexibility capable of supporting rigid development processes.

Sustaining Organizational Performance

The ability to fight corruption in government and empower NGOs sometimes simultaneously fits squarely within the finest traditions of good governance, more so because adequate financial management, including adequate reporting on budgetary issues is key to sustained organizational performance of NGOs. For most NGOs in Sierra Leone, unsatisfactory practices with regard to vehicle and fuel use, procurement procedures and weak financial reporting and accounting are weaknesses which are also typical issues in bad government. Improving documentation of results, including the development of good monitoring indicators is also essential for sustaining organizational performance. The non performance of NGOs is coming at a frightful human, financial, and political cost. There has to be organizational improvements in government so that NGOs can be more resourceful and relevant to the development equation.

One of the enduring issues the NGO Unit at MODEP’s struggles with is whether personnel and organizational systems designed to coordinate the work of NGOs in the country will be able to reflect the importance of advising, training, and equipping NGOs in Sierra Leone—something still not considered a career-enhancing path for the best and brightest organizational development experts.  Another is whether the revised policy regulations can be adapted well enough and fast enough to empower NGOs—or, more significant, to build the capacity of local NGOs to make them more resourceful.

One can make the argument in favor of institutionalizing NGO skills and the ability to conduct stability and support operations. This has to be done and is necessary for maintaining the current advantage of the relevance of NGOs as development partners. Apart from recent revisions of NGO policy regulations there has been no strong, deeply rooted constituency inside MODEP or elsewhere for institutionalizing the capabilities necessary to support NGO work in Sierra Leone—and to quickly meet the important needs of civil society organizations engaged in development work in Sierra Leone.

Think of the important work of NGOs in Sierra Leone.  NGOs often make the impossible possible by doing what governments cannot or will not do especially when new challenges crowd the national agenda. Increasingly, NGOs operate outside existing formal frameworks, moving independently to meet their goals and establishing new standards that governments, institutions, and corporations are themselves compelled to follow through force of public opinion.

Some humanitarian and development NGOs, for instance, have a natural advantage because of their perceived neutrality and experience. Amnesty International – Sierra Leone Section, for example, (as listed on the webpage directory of NGOs maintained by UNDP Sierra Leone promotes and protects human rights through advocacy and human rights education—maintaining documentation on human rights abuses and violations carried out during the ten year rebel war in Sierra Leone which proved helpful to the TRC in Sierra Leone. Other groups such as the Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) is a democracy-supporting NGO in Sierra Leone which promotes the building of democratic institutions, transparency and accountability in government, active citizen participation in the political process, voter education, human rights, and the rule of law. The Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) organizes religious, educational, social and cultural programs to meet the spiritual, mental and recreational needs of members. The Centre for Coordination of Youth Activities provides training in leadership, peace building, skills development, and community development. The Kailahun District Development Foundation (KADDF), a district-wide non-governmental organization offers viable solutions to the pervasive problems of poverty and serves as a clearinghouse for outside agencies interested in carrying out programs in the Kailahun district. The Sierra Leone Adult Education Association (SLADEA) helps to reduce the high rate of illiteracy among adults in the non-formal sector; to enlist the co-operation and support of other NGOs with a view to motivating various forms of people’s participation especially women and youth in national development; to achieve public recognition and support for non-formal education sector. FORUT’s thematic areas (health, education, skills development, micro-finance, skills training, etc.), are relevant for the end users that are often poor and vulnerable children, youth and women. Action Aid is one of the largest NGOs operating in Sierra Leone promoting food security through agricultural programs to ensure seeds are available and crop production continues.

There is no doubt, therefore, that modernization programs will continue to have, and deserve, strong institutional and parliamentary support. There has to be the enabling environment needed to make sure that the capabilities needed for the complex organizational issues of NGOs also has strong and sustained institutional support over the long term. The need for an NGO Unit establishment that can make and implement decisions quickly in support of NGOs working in Sierra Leone is necessary.

In the end, the NGO capabilities needed cannot be separated from the cultural traits and the management structure of the institutions the Sierra Leone Government has: the signals sent by how funds are managed, what projects are funded, what skills are used to implement projects and how personnel are trained. As Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy has said, “Clearly, one can no longer relegate NGOs to simple advisory or advocacy roles. . . . They are now part of the way decisions have to be made.”

As Yale professor Steve Charnovitz has observed, NGO involvement seems to depend on two factors: the needs of government and the capabilities of NGOs. A good democracy encompasses all NGOs which strive to create formal but flexible systems fostering dynamism and self-adjustment. NGOs ought to be a part of the alternative development paradigm, because the State, its institutions, and public policy, are unable to address a host of issues of underdevelopment all alone.

Evidently, there are many NGOs today in Sierra Leone in different shapes and forms with substantial amounts of donor and individual funds being diverted through them for developmental purposes. These NGOs are thought to be participatory, community-oriented, democratic, cost effective, and better at targeting the poorest of the poor, although in recent years, the nimbus of righteousness around NGOs has almost disappeared, and there is wide acknowledgement of their inability to deliver what is expected from them. Many lessons, however, about NGOs in Sierra Leone present themselves. Two of the most important are an understanding of organizational challenges and a sense of determination to change. The determination and national reach of NGOs has been an indispensable contributor to national peace and stability. The NGO Unit at MODEP should be clear about what effective organizational management by competent operators of NGOs can accomplish. No matter what their aims, all organizations share two things in common: They are made up of people, and certain individuals are in charge of these people. NGOs therefore need strong managers to lead its staff toward accomplishing development goals. And these managers are more than just leaders—they are problem solvers, cheerleaders, and planners as well.

Think of the intricacies of management, for instance. No matter what type of organization they work in, NGO executives are generally responsible for a group of individuals’ performance. As leaders, they must expect their fellow workers to work earnestly to reach common NGO goals. As the management guru Peter Drucker said, “Executives owe it to the organization and to their fellow workers not to tolerate nonperforming individuals in important jobs.”

In national affairs, “aid can work where there is good governance,” the United States Congressional Representative Lee H. Hamilton wrote in his book on – A Legacy of Honor: The Congressional Papers of Lee H. Hamilton, U.S. House of Representative 1965-1998 Indiana Ninth District, “… and usually fails where governments are unable or unwilling to commit aid to improve the lives of their people.” It is thus believed any responsible National Development Strategy for Sierra Leone should provide a balanced approach to enhancing responsibilities and preserving the relevance of NGOs as development partners.

Kenday S. Kamara
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-profit-organizations-articles/a-balanced-strategy-reprogramming-ngos-and-enhancing-their-relevance-as-development-partners-in-sierra-leone-741482.html

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An Opinion On Affordable Health Coverage

May 1st, 2010 admin Posted in health reform Comments Off

I have been working on the battle for affordable health coverage for all for the longest time, and some people actually view me an authority in this area. I have worked with the employed, unemployed, and retired on getting affordable medical coverage, so let me tell you how things stand in the fight. Most people probably already have an idea that it can be very hard to find access to low priced health coverage. Unless your employer covers you, or you are a civil servant, you will probobly be overpaying for your health care coverage, and possibly alot more than you would think. For this reason, many people across the state and across the country are trapped in dead end jobs in the hopes of keeping their affordable medical coverage. Although they are not doing satisfying work, or advancing their careers, they have to stay with the same old gig because, if they do not, they will lose their health insurance and be in real trouble.

Among the people without low priced medical coverage are many children in this country. Let us face it, despite being the very richest country in the world, we have failed many of our citizens, even children, in not providing them with the access to affordable health coverage which is certainly, quite literally, a matter of life and death to multiple. Without affordable health insurance and good nutrition, masses of of the poorest are chronically sick and struggling with their medical expenses, unable to pay which it is that they owe, and so always under the crushing weight of poverty.

Although there are plenty reformists who are actually industry flunkies claiming that all is very possibly needed is most definately a little reform to insure affordable medical insurance, anyone who has been on the front lines like I have been will tell you the bare truth. The best route to low priced health care coverage is most definately obvious, and has been obvious for a good long time. As a nation, we just can not go without having single payer health care coverage any more. With single payer health care, every citizen of the country will be guaranteed well priced medical insurance, paid through their taxes. Although some people say that it can be too high priced to add a new service, it will be, in fact, much cheaper than paying private, for-profit industries to insure us as we do now. It may quite be really the natural solution to each and every one of our low priced medical insurance problems faced in America every today.

Christopher Taylor
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/an-opinion-on-affordable-health-coverage-140601.html

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Jury System Reform in Personal Injury Cases

April 29th, 2010 admin Posted in health reform Comments Off

Civil juries have been called the conscience of the community. John Stuart Mill once observed that the jury system is “at the very heart of democracy Similarly, Alexis De Tocqueville stated that the American civil jury system is “one of the most efficacious means for the education of the people which society can employ.”

Those fighting for the rights of the people, namely Personal Injury Lawyers in Wrongful Death, Birth Injury, Brain Damage, Medical Malpractice, Truck Accident an similar cases, have long fought for strengthening the jury system.  The right to a trial by jury in civil cases is firmly embedded in the United States Constitution, as well as most state constitutions. The Seventh Amendment provides: “In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.” And the United States Supreme Court has held that “[m]aintenance of the jury as a fact-finding body is of such importance and occupies so firm a place in our history and jurisprudence that any seeming curtailment of the right to a jury trial should be scrutinized with utmost care.”

Why, then, has the American jury system been under attack in recent years? One answer is that this attack is nothing new. As early as 1872, Mark Twain commented: “The jury system puts a ban on intelligence and honesty, and a premium upon ignorance, stupidity and perjury. It is a shame that we must continue to use a worthless system because it was good a thousand years ago.”  Likewise, in 1911 Ambrose Bierce defined “trial” as a “formal inquiry designed to prove and put upon record the blameless characters of judges, advocates and jurors.”

Contrary to the literary critique of the 19th century, the recent attack on the American jury is far more potent.  Corporations and their insurers have been at the forefront of such attacks on civil juries, seeking to limit corporate liability exposure by replacing the civil jury system with a more manageable statutory structure.

And their call for jury reform is getting louder. Following the recent $253.4 million dollar jury verdict against Merck in the first Vioxx suit in Texas, some tort “reformists” have called for the “End of the Jury System for Civil Cases.” According to Professor Brainbridge of UCLA, this Vioxx verdict “raises serious questions as to the competence of lay jurors to resolve technical issues.”

Other commentators disagree, arguing that juries in civil cases stand as indispensable watchdogs over corporate negligence and corruption. Specifically, the Vioxx verdict illustrates how, “for ordinary Americans, the civil justice system is the last check-and sometimes the only check-against corporations that put profits before the health of safety of their own customers.”

Still, even the firmest supporters of the American civil jury agree that juror comprehension is strained by lengthy cases, complex evidence and intricate law. In such cases, not only are the interests of justice poorly served, but jurors themselves become dissatisfied with their participation. Accordingly, recent jury reform efforts have been aimed at making the jury system more responsive to citizen needs, as opposed to abandoning civil juries altogether.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has recently spearheaded two such efforts to highlight the importance of jury service in our nation: the American Jury Project and the Commission on the American Jury. The former has been charged with producing a single set of modern jury “Principles” that the ABA proposes as a model for courts across the country. The latter has been charged with a mission to encourage appreciation of the American jury system, to persuade the public to participate in the process, and to stimulate reform in hopes of improving the experience of serving on juries.

This paper examines some of the newest and more controversial jury trial innovations being considered by judges and attorneys to maximize juror comprehension of evidence and applicable law.

DISCUSSION

A.        Jurors Asking Questions

One of the more controversial jury-reform proposals is to allow jurors to ask witnesses questions during trial. This practice is slowly gaining acceptance in jurisdictions throughout the country, and is a practice endorsed by the American Bar Association.

Proponents of allowing jurors to ask questions note the difficulty juries face in analyzing evidence presented through one-way communication. That is, attorneys and witnesses speak during trials, while jurors only listen. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in United States v. Callahan, held that “[t]here is nothing improper about the practice of allowing occasional questions from jurors to be asked of witnesses. If a juror is unclear as to a point in the proof, it makes good common sense to allow a question to be asked about it.”

There are essentially two approaches on how jurors might ask questions during trial.   Under the first approach:

After both lawyers conclude their respective direct and cross-examination, the trial court asks the jurors for written questions; the jury and witness leave the courtroom while the judge determines the admissibility of the questions; the trial court reads the questions to both lawyers and allows them to object; the jury and witnesses are brought back into the courtroom and the judge reads the admissible questions to the witness; after the witness answers, both lawyers may ask follow-up questions limited to the subject matter of the jurors’ questions.

Under the second approach:

The juror writes the question and hands it to the bailiff, who then passes it to the judge; the judge (most often at a break) furnishes copies of the question to the attorneys so long as in the judges opinion, the question-or some variation of the question-is potentially meritorious (having foundation in law as well as being relevant and material to the case at hand); the juror’s question now belongs to the attorneys, who are free to handle the question as they deem appropriate and in their client’s best interest.

Opponents of allowing jurors to ask questions under either approach argue that it may disturb the respective roles of the attorneys and juries, transcending jurors from neutral fact-finders into advocates. Additionally, jurors might become distracted by thinking of questions rather than paying attention to the trial. Furthermore, a probing question from a juror might improperly aid an otherwise ineffective attorney.

State appellate courts have taken differing approaches to the practice of allowing juror questions. In City of Springfield v. Thompson Sales Co., the Missouri Supreme Court expressly upheld the use of jury questioning. On the other hand, in Steele v. Atlanta Maternal-Fetal Medicine, P.C.,the Court of Appeals of Georgia found that the trial court abused its discretion by allowing jurors to submit questions for witnesses. The Supreme Court of Vermont, in State v. Dolesny,held that it was within the trial court’s discretion to permit jurors in criminal cases to submit written questions for the witnesses.

Despite the increasing number of jurisdictions permitting jurors to ask questions, most attorneys remain cautious about this reform proposal. In a traditional adversary trial, lawyers control the questioning of witnesses, subject only to judicial scrutiny. When jurors are allowed to ask questions, attorneys must yield some of this control to the jury.

B.        Consecutive Expert Witness Testimony

Most of the criticism surrounding the Vioxx verdict suggests that jurors are incapable of understanding and evaluating complex expert testimony. One jury reform proposal seeks to address this concern by reordering the sequence of proof so that opposing experts offer their testimony consecutively.

In complex cases involving a “battle of the experts,” some jurisdictions have experimented with reordering the traditional sequence of proof to better facilitate juror comprehension. For example, if a plaintiff offers an expert witness on the issue of causation, the defendant’s causation witness would testify immediately after the plaintiff’s expert, rather than much later in the trial during the defendant’s case-in-chief. This procedure would allow jurors to hear all the expert causation witnesses in the same approximate time period.

Another approach would allow each side’s expert to appear together in front of the jury, following their testimony, to answer one another’s questions about the testimony. For instance, expert witness A could be asked to respond to expert witness B’s criticism of expert witness A’s conclusions. This technique allows the jury to examine the extent of any real difference between expert testimony and to compare these differences side by side.

Still, this proposal certainly has detractors. Both plaintiff and defense lawyers are concerned with disrupting their trial presentation strategy by reorganizing the timing of presentation of expert witnesses. Accordingly, most commentators agree such reordering of testimony should not occur without the consent of the judge and all parties.

C.        Interim Summaries

Another controversial jury-reform innovation is to allow attorneys to provide jurors with interim summaries during various stages throughout the trial. One common problem for jurors is the inability to put individual pieces of evidence together in any meaningful context. Because jurors can better understand evidence when they know why it is being presented to them, some jurisdictions permit lawyers to make mini-summations during the trial.

Proponents of the practice argue that such summaries are useful in long and/or complex jury trials. Mini-summations can help the jury focus on the significance of evidence and place evidence in context while it is still fresh. The Arizona Supreme Court Committee on More Effective Use of Juries concluded that “[i]nterim summaries can enhance jury comprehension, aid juror recall of the evidence and help jurors avoid making premature judgments in the case.”

Opponents of mini-summation argue that this practice allows lawyers to “put a spin on the testimony before all the evidence is in,” which can be highly prejudicial. Furthermore, opponents note that interim summaries can waste time, bore the jurors, and interrupt the flow of presenting testimony.

D.        Juror Deliberations During Trial

In most jurisdictions, jurors are prohibited from discussing the case until they receive final jury instructions. However, some jurisdictions have considered permitting pre-deliberation discussions by jurors, especially in lengthy or complex cases.

In fact, Arizona became the first jurisdiction to expressly permit jurors to discuss evidence during civil trials. Currently, Arizona jurors can do so only in civil trials; in criminal trials they must still wait until the final deliberations to discuss the case with one another.

In civil cases in Arizona, jurors are instructed at the outset that they may discuss the evidence amongst themselves during the trial but only in the jury room and only when all are present. They are cautioned that discussion is appropriate only as long as they keep an open mind until they have heard all the evidence, all the instructions on the law, and all arguments of counsel. A number of trial judges across the country are using this procedure on an experimental basis, generally with the consent of the parties.

The foremost objection to pre-deliberation jury discussion is the belief that jurors who engage in this practice will prejudice the case before hearing all the evidence and instructions on the law. This practice also raises concerns about shifting the burden of proof from the plaintiff to the defense, if jurors form an opinion before the defense has presented its case.

CONCLUSION

Many of the innovative jury reform proposals described above can enhance the civil jury’s decision-making ability. To the extent that reform makes jury duty a more enjoyable experience and helps lawyers communicate more effectively with jurors, such proposals should be seriously considered.

However, jury reform should not disturb the role of jurors as impartial finders of fact. Perhaps the best thing to come out of the jury reform debate is that trial lawyers are becoming keenly aware of the need to communicate more effectively with juries.

Mathew A. Passen
http://www.articlesbase.com/personal-injury-articles/jury-system-reform-in-personal-injury-cases-723750.html

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LEADERSHIP

April 27th, 2010 admin Posted in health reform Comments Off

WAYNE FIELDS –“The best six doctors anywhere and no one can deny it are sunshine, water, rest, and air Exercise and diet. These six will gladly you attend If only you are willing your mind they’ll ease your will they’ll mend and charge you not a shilling.”

WB YEATS –“The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are Jull of passionate intensity.”

WC FIELDS –“Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.”

WCLEMENT STONE –“There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.”

WELSH PROVERB –“Three things give hardy strength: sleeping on hairy mattresses, breathing cold air, and eating dry food.”

WEMHER VON BRAUN –“Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.”

WEN JLABAO –“Please just hold on, people are going to get you out of here.”

WENDELL BERRY –“Energy is superhuman in the sense that humans cannot create it. They can only refine or convert it. And they are bound to it by one of the paradoxes of religion: they cannot have it except by losing it; they cannot use it except by destroying it…”

WENDELL BERRY –“Men may dam it and say that they have made a lake, but it will still be a river. It will keep its nature and bide its time, like a caged animal alert for the slightest opening. In time, it will have its way; the dam, like the ancient cliffs, will be carried away piecemeal in the currents.”

WENDELL BERRY –“We are far more concerned about the desecration of the flag than we are about the desecration of our land.”

WENDELL PHILIPS –“Difference religion breeds more quarrels than difference of polities.”

WENDELL PHILLIPS- “Difference of religion breads more quarrels than difference of politics.”

WENDELL PHILUPS –“Low is nothing unless close behind it Stands a warm living public opinion.”

WENDY MARSTON –“Once you have the chance to be anything you want, you face the really tough question: What do you want?”

WERICK THE GREAT –“All religions must be tolerated. Every man must get to heaven in his own way.”

WERNER VON BRAUN –“Use the word “impossible” with the greatest caution.”

WERNHER VAN BRAUN –“Don’t tell me that man doesn’t belong out there. Man belongs wherever he wants to go— and he’ll do plenty well when he gets there.”

WES NISKER –“if you don’t like the news, go out and make some of your own.”

WH AUDEN –“A poet is a person who is passionately in love with language.”

WH AUDEN –“No human being can make another one happy.”

WH AUDEN –“No human being is innocent, but there is a class of innocent human actions called Games.”

WH AUDEN –“We are here on Earth to do good to others. What the others are here for; I don’t know.”

WH AUDEN –“We must love one another or die.”

WHITE –“In antiquity, every tree, every spring, every stream, every hill had its own genius loci, its guardian spirit… Before one cut a tree, mined a mountain, or a brook, it was important to placate the spirit in charge of that particular situation, and to keep it placated. By destroying animism, we have only ended up exploiting nature in a mood of indifference to the feelings of natural objects.”

WHITE HOUSE –“The sound of the Shafer heralds the beginning of a new year and a time of remembrance and renewal for the Jewish people. During these holy days, men and women are called to reflect on their faith and to honour the blessings of creation.”

WHITMAN –“The untold want, by life and land ne’er granted, Now, Voyager, sail thou forth, to seek and find.”

WHITNEY HOUSTON –“It’s about believin’ when you ain’t got anything to believe in.”

WHITTIER –“The smile of God is victory.”

WHOOPI GOLDBERG –“It never occurs to me that there are things I can’t do.”

WIKIPAEDIA –“Researchers reason that all living humans descend from Africans, some of whom migrated out of Africa and populated the rest of the world. If the mitochondrial analysis is correct, then because mitochondrial Eve represents the root of the mitochondrial family tree, she must have predated the exodus and lived in Africa. Therefore many researchers take the mitochondrial evidence as support for the “single-origin” or Out-of-Africa model.”

WIKIPAEDIA –“As Mahalakshmi, the supreme Goddess of Love and Delight, she lends grace and charms everything divine or human. As Mahasaraswati, the Goddess of Divine skill and Knowledge, she is the firefighter and trouble-shooter for the entire universe.”

WIKIPAEDIA –“Hypertextuality is the interconnectedness of all literary works and their interpretation. A woven fabric of cultural consciousness is imitated and, in fact, investigated.”

WIKIPAEDIA –“Primordial Parashakti is the ultimate dynamic energy of transcendental Brahmn… Brahmn is attributeless whereas Parashakti has many attributes. While, Brahmn has only to be cognised, Parashakti can be worshipped with name and form. She is Divine Will personified. She isconscious power beyond everything. She is the invisible and constant presence that sustains the world, linking form and name, holding them in interdependence. There is nothing impossible for Her She is the Universal Goddess. She is all knowledge, all strength, all triumph and all victory she is the Goddess Supreme, Maheshvari, who brings to us the total state of illumination.”

WIKIPAEDIA “Shakti is Mother of the universe. She creates, preserves, dissolves. She is the sat and so creates. She is chit, so she is life. She is ananda or bliss. He is also possessor and controller of opposite qualities: Destruction, death and terror as Mahakali, Goddess of Supreme Strength.”

WIKIPAEDIA –“Space-time entails a new concept of distance. Whereas distances are always positive in Euclidean spaces, the distance between any two events in space-time — called an “interval” — may be real, zero, or even imaginary.”

WIKIPAEDIA –“The real purpose of the Paryushan is to purify our soul by staying closer to our own soul, to look at our faults, to ask for forgiveness for the mistakes we have committed, and take vows to minimise our faults. We try to forget about the needs of our body and our business so that we can concentrate on our-self. Swetambers celebrate eight days of Paryushan and the last day is called Samvastsari. In these eight days most of Jains keep fast in many ways and all Jains keep fast on Last day of Paryushan. The process of shedding our KARMAS really begins by asking for forgiveness with true feelings and to vow not to repeat mistakes. The quality of the forgiveness requires humility and suppression of anger.”

WILCOX AND MUMFORD –““I don’t care how poor a man is; if he has family, he’s rich.”

WILFRED B L TROTTER –“The dispassionate intellect, the open mind, the unprejudiced observer, exist in an exact sense only in a sort of intellectualist folklore; states even approaching them cannot be reached without a moral and emotional effort most of us cannot or will not make.”

WILFRED PETERSON –“The best leaders are very often the best listeners. They have an open mind. They are not interested in having their own way but in finding the best way.”

WILILAM JAMES –“There is only one thing a philosopher can be truly relied upon to do, and that is to contradict other philosophers.”

WILL AND ARIEL DURANT –“The future never just happened. It was created.”

WILL DURANT- “Education is a progressive discovery of our ignorance.”

WILL DURANT –“In my youth, I stressed freedom, and in my old age I stress order. I have made the great discovery that liberty is a product of order.”

WILL DURANT –“The love we have in our youth is superficial compared to the love that an old man has for his old wife.”

WILL DURANT –“The trouble with most people is that they Think with their hopes or fears or, wishes rather than with their minds.”

WILL ROGERS –“An onion can make people cry but there’s never been a vegetable that can make people laugh.”

WILL ROGERS –“Even you’re on the right track, you won’t get anywhere if you’re standing still.”

WILL ROGERS –“Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.”

WILL ROGERS –“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”

WILL ROGERS –“One revolution is just like one cocktail, it just gets you organized or the next.”

WILL ROGERS –“Outside of traffic, there is nothing that has held this country back as much as committees.”

WILL ROGERS –“There is no more independence in politics than there is in jail.”

WILL ROGERS –“We don’t give our criminals much punishment, but we sure give them plenty of publicity.”

WILL ROGERS –“We don’t know what we want, but we are ready to bite somebody to get it.”

WILL ROGERS –“You can’t say civilisation isn’t advancing, in every war they kill you in a new way.”

WILL SCHUTZ –“Man’s self-concept is enhanced when he takes responsibility for himself.”

WILLA CATHER –“That is happiness; to be dissolved into something completely great.”

WILLA CATHER –“There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before.”

WILLA CATHER –“Where there is the greatest love, there are always miracles.”

WILLA GATHER –“I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do.”

WILLA GATHER –“Where there is great love, there are always miracles.”

WILLA GATHER –“Where there is great love, there are always wishes.”

WILLARD MARRIOTT –“Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind the stronger the tree.”

WILLIAM A WARD –“Another fresh new year is here…/ Another year to live!/To banish worry, doubt, and fear, to love and laugh and I give!/ This bright New Year is given me/to live each day with zest…/To daily grow and try to be/my highest and my best! I have the opportunity/ once more to right some wrongs,/ to pray for peace, to plant a tree,/ and sing more joyful songs.”

WILLIAM A WARD –“Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.”

WILLIAM A WART –“Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.”

WILLIAM ARTHUR WARD –“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it.”

WILLIAM ASHWORTH –“Children of a culture born in a water-rich environment, we have never really learned how important water is to us. We understand it, but we do not respect it.”

WILLIAM BENNETT- “There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes.”

WILLIAM BLACK- “A truth that’s told with bad intent, beats all the lies you can invent.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“A dog starv’d at the master’s gate/ Predicts the ruin of the State./ A horse misus’d upon the road/ Calls to heaven for human blood./ Each outcry of the hunted hare/ A fibre from the brain does tear,/ A skylark wounded on the wing,/ A cherubim does cease to sing.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“Ancient poets animated all sensible objects with gods or geniuses… choosing forms of worship from poetic tales. And at length they pronounced that the gods had ordered such things. Thus men forgot that all deities reside in the human breast.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“Excess of sorrow laughs. Excess of joy weeps.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“He who binds himself to a joy Doth the winged life destroy; But he who kisses the joy as it flies Lives in Eternity’s sun rise.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“I care not whether a man is good or evil; all that I care/ Is whether he is a wise man or a fool. Go! put off holiness,/And put on intellect… Men are admitted into Heaven not because they have curbed and governed their passions or have no passions, but because they have cultivated their understandings. The treasures of Heaven are not negations of passion, but realities of intellect, from which all the passions emanate uncurbed in their eternal glory. The fool shall not enter into Heaven let him be ever so holy.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“I have mental joys and mental health, Mental friends and mental wealth, I’ve a wife that I love and that loves me; have all but riches bodily.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“I myself do nothing. The Holy Spirit accomplishes all through me.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe I told it not, my wrath did grow.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“Man’s Desires are limited by his Perceptions; none can desire what he has not perceived.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“Scientists, in trying to decipher that which should remain indecipherable, would turn that which is soul and life into a mill or machine.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“The strongest poison ever known/ Came from Caesar’s laurel crown.”

WILLIAM BLAKE –“The voice of honest indignation is the voice of God.”

William borah- “The marvel of the history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments.”

WILLIAM BRAMWELL –“There is too much meat and drink, too little fasting and self-denial, too much taking part in the world… and too little self-examination and prayer.”

WILLIAM BUTLERYEATS –“Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire.”

WILLIAM CHANNING –“To live content with small means, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy not respectable, and wealthy, not rich, to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart, to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never, in a word to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common, this is to be my symphony.”

WILLIAM CLAYTON –“The dumber people think you are, the more surprised they’re going to be when you kill them.”

WILLIAM COFFIN –“Only reverence can restrain violence — reverence for human life and the environment.”

WILLIAM COWPER – “Nature is a good name for an effect whose cause is God.”

WILLIAM COWPER –“But war’s a game, which, were their subject wise,/ Kings would not play at.”

WILLIAM COWPER –“God made the country, and man made the town.”

WILLIAM COWPER –“The bud may have a bitter taste,/But sweet will be the flower.”

WILLIAM COWPER:- “Nature is a good name for an effect whose cause is God.”

WILLIAM DRUMMOND –“A man who cannot reason is a fool, a man who will not reason is a bigot, and a man who dare not reason is a slave.”

WILLIAM ERNEST HOCKING –“Only the man who has enough good in him to feel the justice of the penalty can be punished; the others can only be hurt.”

WILLIAM FAULKNER –“Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.”

WILLIAM FAULKNER- “Facts and truth really don’t have much to do with each other.”

WILLIAM FEATHER –“A determination to succeed is the only way to succeed that I know anything about.”

WILLIAM FEATHER –“Early morning cheerfulness can be extremely obnoxious.”

WILLIAM FEATHER –“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.”

WILLIAM FEATHER –“We always admire the other person more after we’ve tried to do his job.”

WILLIAM FREDERICK HALSEY –“There are no great people in this world, only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet.”

WILLIAM GARTNER –“What separates the entrepreneur from others is that entrepreneurs act on what they see.”

WILLIAM GLADSTONE –“Duty is a power that arises with us in the morning, and goes to rest with us in the night. It is co-extensive with the action of our intelligence. It is the shadow that cleaves to us, go where we will.”

WILLIAM GLADSTONE- “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

WILLIAM HAVARD- “Our country welfare is our first concern, and who promotes that best, best proves his duty.”

WILLIAM HAZLITT –“Grace is the absence of everything that indicates pain or difficulty, hesitation or incongruity.”

WILLIAM HAZLITT –“Gracefulness has been defined to be the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul.”

WILLIAM HAZLITT –“Great thoughts reduced to practice become great acts.”

WILLIAM HAZLITT –“Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are, and what they ought to be.”

WILLIAM HAZLITT –“The more we do, the more we can do; the more busy we are the more leisure we have.”

WILLIAM HAZLITT –“There is heroism in crime as well as in virtue. Vice and infamy have their altars and their religion.”

WILLIAM HENRY CHANNING – “Error is the discipline through which we advance.”

WILLIAM HENRY CHANNING –“Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage.”

WILLIAM HENRY CHANNING –“To live content with small means, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich, to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart, to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never, in a word to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common, this is to be my symphony.”

WILLIAM HOCKING –“Only the man who has enough good in him to feel the justice of the penalty can be punished; the others can only be hurt.”

WILLIAM HOMADY –“What I am inside determines the issue in the battle of life.”

WILLIAM J. BENNETT:- “There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes.”

WILLIAM JAMES –“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”

WILLIAM JAMES –“Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.”

WILLIAM JAMES –“Believe life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.”

WILLIAM JAMES –“If you care enough for the result, you will almost always attain it.”

WILLIAM JAMES –“The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.”

WILLIAM JAMES –“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.”

WILLIAM JAMES –“Then you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice.”

WILLIAM JAMES –“These, then, are my last words to you: Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create that fact.”

WILLIAM JAMES –“This life is worth living, we can say, since it is what we make it.”

WILLIAM JAMES –“This overcoming of all the usual barriers between the individual and the Absolute and we become aware of our oneness. This is the everlasting and triumphant mystical tradition, hardly altered by differences of clime or creed.”

WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN –“Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for it is a thing to be achieved.”

WILLIAM JONES –“Let everything you do be done as if it makes a difference.”

WILLIAM L GARRISON –“Are right and wrong convertible terms, dependant upon popular opinion?”

WILLIAM L. SHIRER –“Most true happiness comes from one’s inner life, from the disposition of the mind and soul.”

WILLIAM LANDBURG –“Modern portfolio theory allows for the fact that financial markets are by their nature unpredictable. An infinite array of events that are, impossible to foresee or control affect returns — currency meltdowns, earthquakes, terrorist attacks and 100-year storms (which have a way of occurring every five years!). Logic and rational thinking rarely factor into the mix. As was seen in the dot corn era, a company’s underlying strength, reflected by such variables as profitability, earning prospects and market share, may have far less effect on share price than mindless exuberance. How else can we account for the swings and gyrations in the stock market in recent years?”

WILLIAM LANGLAND –“We should be low and love like and lean each man to the other And patient as pilgrims, for pilgrims are we all.”

WILLIAM LANGLAND –“We should be low and love like and lean each man to the other And patient as pilgrims, for pilgrims are we all.”

WILLIAM LAW –“A life devoted to the interests and enjoyments of this world, spent and wasted in the slavery of earthly desires, may be truly called a dream, as having all the shortness, vanity, and delusion of a dream; only with this great difference, that when a dream is over nothing is lost but fictions and fancies; but when the dream of life is ended only by death, all that eternity is lost, for which we were brought into being.”

WILLIAM LAW –“All other sacrifices that we make whether of worldly goods, honours, or pleasures, are but small matters compared to that sacrifice and destruction of all selfishness, as well spiritual as natural, that must be made before our regeneration hath its perfect work.”

WILLIAM LAW –“For Heaven is as near to our souls as this world is to our bodies.”

WILLIAM LAW –“Love and pity and wish well to every soul in the world; dwell in love, and then you dwell in God; hate nothing but the evil that stirs in your own heart.”

WILLIAM LONDON –“To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.”

WILLIAM M THACKERAY –“Mother is the name of God in the lips and hearts of children.”

WILLIAM Mc FEE –“The world belongs to the enthusiast who keeps cool.”

WILLIAM MCDONOUGH –“Don’t get me wrong: love nuclear energy! It’s just that i prefer fusion to fission. And it just so happens that there’s an enormous fusion reactor safely banked a few million miles from us. It delivers more than we could ever use in just about eight minutes. And it’s wireless!”

WILLIAM MCGONAGALL –“Beautiful city of Glasgow, with your streets so neat and clean, Your stately mansions, and beautiful Green! Likewise your beautiful bridges across the river Clyde, And on your bonnie banks I would like to reside.”

WILLIAM MOMS –“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life and elevating them to an art.”

WILLIAM MORRIS –“Fellowship is heaven, and lack of fellowship is hell; fellowship is life, and lack of fellowship is death; and the deeds that ye do upon the earth, it is for fellowship’s sake that ye do them.”

WILLIAM MOTHERWELL –“Men say that in this midnight hour, the disembodied have power to wander as it liketh them, by wizard oak and fairy stream.”

WILLIAM ODOUGLAS –“Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions.”

WILLIAM PENN –“Death is only a horizon, and a horizon is only the limit of our sight. Open your eyes to see more clearly.”

WILLIAM PENN –“He that does good for good’s sake seeks neither praise nor reward, though sure of both at least.”

WILLIAM PENN –“No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; r no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.”

WILLIAM PHELPS –“We look backward too much and we look forward too much; thus we miss the only eternity of which we can be absolutely sure — the eternal present, for it is always now.”

WILLIAM PITT –“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom: it is the argument of tyrants.”

WILLIAM PURKEY –“Dance like no one is watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like no one is listening and live like it’s heaven on earth.

WILLIAM R INGE –“We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form.”

WILLIAM RANDOLPH –“A politician will do anything to his job –even become a patriot.”

William S. Burroughs- “Be just, and if can’t be just, be arbitrary.”

WILLIAM S. GILBERT- “And whether you’re an honest man, or whether you’re a thief, depends up on whose solicitor has given me my brief.”

WILLIAM SAFIRE –“Never assume the obvious is true.”

WILLIAM SAROYAN –“Every man in the world is better than someone else and not as good as someone else.”

WILLIAM SAROYAN –“No man’s guilt is not yours, nor is any man’s innocence a thing apart.”

WILLIAM SEWELL –“We shall be judged, not by what we might have been, but what we have been.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE – “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE – “We are such stuff as dreams are made of; and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“A victory is twice itself when the achiever brings home full numbers.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety; other women cloy The appetites .they feed.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“Alas! How should you govern any kingdom, That know not how to use ambassadors.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“Fear no more the heat of the sun, Not the furious winter’s rages; Thou thy worldly task hath done, Home art gone, and taken thy wages. Golden lads and girls all must, as chimney-sweepers, come to dust.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“Have more than thou showest, / Speak less than thou knowest, /Lend less than thou owest, / Ride more than thou goest, / Learn more than thou trowest, / Set less than thou throwest; / Leave thy drink and thy whore, / And keep in-a-door, / And thou shalt have more / Than two tens to a score.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“Here comes one with a paper: God give him grace to groan!”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“Here feel we but the penalty of Adam, The seasons’ difference, as the icy fang And churiish chiding of the winter’s wind, Which, when it bites and blows upon my body. Even till I shrink with cold, I smile and say, “This is no flattery”.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“How poor are they that have not patience What wound did ever heal but by degrees?”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“If she be made of white and red,/ Her faults will ne’er be known,/ For blushing cheeks by faults are bred/ And fears by pale white shown:/ Then if she fear or be to blame,/ By this you shall not know,/ For still her cheeks possess the same/ Which native she doth owe.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“Love all, trust a few: Do wrong to none.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE -“Love asks me no questions. And gives me endless support.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“My crown is in my heart, not in my head, Nor decked with diamonds and Indian stones, Nor to be seen; my crown is called contentment. A crown it is, that seldom kings enjoy”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“Nor stony tower, nor walls of beaten brass, Nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron, Can be retentive to the strength of spirit; But life, being weary of these worldly bars, Never lacks power to dismiss itself.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“Poor and content is rich and rich enough.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“Reflection is the business of man; a sense of his state is his first duty: but who remembereth himself in joy? Is it not in mercy then that sorrow is allotted unto us?”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“Some rise by sin, some by virtue fall.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“The gods approve the depth, and not the tumult, of the soul.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“The law hath not been dead, though it hath slept.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“The miserable have no other medicine but only hope.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“Though I am not naturally honest, I am so sometimes by chance.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“When icicles hang by the wall,/ And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,/ And Tom bears logs into the hall,/ And milk comes frozen home in pail,/When blood is nipp’d and ways be foul,/ Then nightly sings the staring owl,/ Tu-whit; Tu-who, a merry note,While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“Wise men never sit and wail their loss, but cheerily seek how to redress their harms.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE –“You, sir, I entertain for one of my hundred; only I do not like the fashion of your garments.”

WILLIAM SHEDD –“A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.”

WILLIAM SOMERSET MAUGHAM –“The love that lasts the longest is the love that is never returned.”

WILLIAM STYRON –“A good book should leave you… slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it.”

WILLIAM THOMAS- “No statement can be profound once it has been repeated by others.”

WILLIAM VAUGHN MOODY- “Blindness we may forgive but baseness we will smite.”

WILLIAM WARD –“The experienced mountain climber is not intimidated by a mountain—he is inspired by it. The persistent winner is not discouraged by a problem — he is challenged by it.”

WILLIAM WORDSWORHT –“Wisdom is often near when we stop than when we soar.”

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH –“And, when the stream Which overflowed the soul was passed away, A consciousness remained that it had left, Deposited upon the silent shore Of memory images and precious thoughts That shall not die, and cannot be destroyed.”

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH –“I made no vows, but vows/ Were then made for me; bond unknown to me/ Was given, that i should be, else sinning greatly/ A dedicated spirit.”

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH –“The World is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers; little we see in Nature that is ours; we have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! This sea that bares her bosom to the moon; The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; For this, for everything, we are out of tune; It moves us not — Great God! I’d rather be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; so might I, standing on this pleasant lea, have glimpses that would make me less forlorn; Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea, or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.”

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH –“Wisdom is often nearer when we stoop than when we soar.”

WILLIAN ERNEST HOCKING –“Only the man who has enough good in him to feel the justice of the penalty can be punished; the others can only be hurt.”

WILLIS HARMAN –“By deliberately changing’ the internal image of reality people can change the world.”

WILLIS PLATER –“A liberal is a person whose interests aren’t at stake at the moment.”

WILLIS WHITNEY –“Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, when all they need is one reason why they can.”

WILLS DURANT –“India was the motherland of our race and Sanskrit the mother of Europe’s languages. India was the mother of Our philosophy, of much of our mathematics, of the ideals embodied in Christianity.. of self-government and democracy In many ways, Mother India is the mother of us all.”

WILLS DURANT –“It is the function of the youth to defend liberty and innovation; of the old to defend order and tradition, and of middle age to find a middle way.”

WILMA ASKINAS –“A friend is one who sees through you and still enjoys the view.”

WILMA RUDOLPH –“No matter what great things you accomplish, somebody helps you.”

WILMA RUDOLPH –“No one goes alone to the heights of excellence. Whether your business is building a loving family, a great idea, a meaningful career, a work of art, or a vast commercial empire, your success will depend on others, and theirs will depend on you.”

WILMA RUDOLPH –“When I was going through my transition of being famous, I tried to ask God: Why was I here? What was my purpose? Surely, it wasn’t just to win three gold medals. There has to be more to this life than that.”

WILT ROGERS –“It’s not what you pay a man, but what he costs you that counts.”

WIN PE –“Monk-poet Shin Maha Thilawuntha wrote poems on the thoughts in the Dhamma like the deep tone of a palace drum heard in the far end of the realm. Shin Maharathathara wrote of the nature of kingship and of matters secular in poems like an ensemble for an anyein or like the warble of a karaweik. I marvel at their use of language and a vocabulary both precise and rich. From which deep intellect did they draw it. By which attrition are we losing it. I feel sad for our collective forgetfulness.”

WINNIE THE POOH –“If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart I’ll stay there forever.”

WINNIE THE POOH –“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL – “There are a lot of lies going around … and half of them are true.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL – “There are a lot of lies going around … and half of them with out socialism is slavery and brutality.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Democracy is the worst form of government Except for all the others that have been tried.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“During my life, I have often had to eat my own words, and on the whole I have found them a wholesome diet.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“I am ready to meet my maker, but whether He is prepared for the ordeal is another matter.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“I do not resent criticism even if for the sake of emphasis it parts for the time with reality.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“If you are going through hell keep going.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL -“If you have an important point to make don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time-a tremendous whack”.

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again, Then hit it a third time, a tremendous whack.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“In war, you can only be killed once, but in polities, many times.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Kites rise highest against the wind – not with it.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Let the children have their night of fun and laughter, let the gifts of Father Christmas delight their play. Let us grown-ups share to the full in their unstinted pleasures…”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry on as if nothing happened.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“One voyage to India is enough; the others are merely repletion.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Play the game for more than you can afford to lose… only then will you learn the game.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Politics are almost as exciting as war and quite as dangerous. In war you can only be killed once, but in politics many times.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“The empires of the future are empire of the mind.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“The price of greatness is responsibility.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“We are happier in many ways when we are old than when we were young. The young grow wild oats, the old grow sage.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“When I look back on all these worries I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Without measureless and perpetual uncertainty the drama of human life would be destroyed.”

WINSTON CHUECHILL –“Yes, madam, I am drunk. But in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.”

WINWOOD READE –“And then, the earth being small, mankind will migrate into space, and will cross the air is Saharas that separate, planet from planet, and sun from sun. The earth will become a Holy Land that will be visited by pilgrims from all quarters of the universe.”

WITHROP ALDRICH –“The price of power is responsibility for the public good.”

WM LEWIS –“The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.”

WOLF BLITZER –“You always give the aggrieved party the chance to respond before you publish or go to air.”

WOLFDYKE B KING –“The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.”

WOODROW T WILSON –“All things come to him who waits – provided he knows what he is waiting for.”

WOODROW T WILSON –“I would rather lose in a cause that will some day win, than win in a cause that will some day lose.”

WOODROW WILSON- “It is not an army that we must train for war, it is a nation.”

WOODROW WILSON- “There must be, not a balance of power, but community of power, not organized rivalries, but an organized peace.”

WOODROW WILSON –“You cannot be friends upon any other terms than upon the terms of equality.”

WOODY ALLEN – “How it is possible to find meaning in a finite world, given my waist and shirt size.”

WOODY ALLEN – “Not only is there no god, but try getting a plumber on weekends.”

WOODY ALLEN –“Don’t let your mind go wandering, its too small to go out by itself.”

WOODY ALLEN- “Eternal nothingness is fine if you happen to be dressed for it.”

WOODY ALLEN –“Eternal nothingness is fine if you happen to be dressed for it.”

WOODY ALLEN –“I am not afraid of death, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”

WOODY ALLEN –“I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work… I want to achieve it through not dying.”

WOODY ALLEN –“If you’re not failing, you’re not trying anything.”

WOODY ALLEN –“I’m astounded by people who want to ‘know’ the universe when it’s hard enough to find your way around Chinatown.”

WOODY ALLEN –“I’m astounded by people who want to ‘know’ the universe when it’s hard enough to find your way around Chinatown.”

WOODY ALLEN –“I’m not afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”

WOODY ALLEN –“My one regret in life is that I am not someone else.”

WOODY ALLEN –“No man is truly married until he understands every word his wife is not saying.”

WOODY ALLEN –“People who drink to drown their sorrows should be told that sorrow knows how to swim.”

WOODY ALLEN –“Sex without love is an empty experience, but, as empty experience go, it’s one of the best.”

WOODY ALLEN –“The heart wants what it wants. There is no logic to those things.”

WOODY ALLEN –“The heart wants what it wants…. There’s no logic to those things.”

WOODY ALLEN –“To you I’m atheist; to God, I’m the Loyal Opposition.”

WOODY ALLEN –“You see me as an atheist. God see me as the loyal opposition.”

WORLD BANK –“If you are not reforming, another country will overtake you.”

WORLD BANK –“Reform is like repairing a car with the engine running— there is no time to strategise.”

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION, 1948 –“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

WORLD SCRIPTURE –“In a family, parents are responsible for the welfare of children and offer children an embracing, unconditional love.”

WRITINGS OF BAHA WTAH –“No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth.”

WRITINGS OF BAHA’u’LLAH –“That seeker must at all times put his trust in God, must renounce the peoples of the earth, detach himself from the world of dust, and cleave unto Him Who is the Lord of Lords. If anyone revile you, or trouble touch you, in the path of God, be patient, and put your trust in Him Who heareth, who seeth. He, in truth, witnesseth, and perceiveth, and doeth what He pleaseth, through the power of His sovereignty.”

WTPURKISER –“Not what we say about our blessings, but how he uses them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.”

XENOCRATES –“I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.”

XHARYA MAHAPRAJNA –“The principle of anekanta symbolizes the fact that no element is either different or same as the total. It is both separate and integrated. A person is not entirely different from this universe; yet, he is not the same. We are undeniably connected — that is why we lead both dependent and independent lives.”

XUN ZI –“A person is born with desires of the eyes and ears, and a liking for beautiful sights and sounds. If he gives way to them, they will lead him to immorality and lack of restriction, and any ritual principles and propriety will be abandoned.”

Y V REDDY –“In India our mandate encompasses both growth and stability.”

Y.B.YEATS –“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of fire.”

YAMAMOTO TSUNETOMO –“There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. A man’s whole life is a succession of moment after moment. If one fully understands the present moment, there will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue. Live being true to the single purpose of the moment. Everyone lets the present moment slip by then looks for it as though he thought it were somewhere else. No one seems to have noticed this fact. But grasping this firmly one must pile experience upon experience. And once one has come to this understanding he will be a different person from that point on, though he may not always bear it in mind. When one understands this settling into single- mindedness well, his affairs will thin out.”

YAMANA ESKIMO –“Do not seek to benefit only yourself; think of other people also… If you were lucky in hunting, let others share it. Moreover, show them the favourable spots… let others, too, have their share. If you want to amass everything for yourself other people will stay way from you; no one will want to be with you. If you should fall ill one day no one will visit you because, for your part, you did not formerly concern yourself about others. Grant other people something also. The Yamana do not like a person who acts selfishly.”

YANN MARTEL –“To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.”

YASNA –“All these, indeed, gather unto Thee, 0 Mazda! They who have done Thy work, whose actions accord with the Truth, Whose words proceed from the Good-Mind, Whose Inspirer art Thou from the very beginning.”

YASNA –“At the last turning of life to the faithful making the right choice according to his norm doth Ahura Mazda, the Lord Judge, in His sovereign power Bestow an end better than good. But to him who shall not serve the cause of good, He giveth an end worse than bad, at the last turning of life.”

YASNA –“He who upholds Truth with all the might of his power, he who Upholds Truth the utmost in his word and deed, he, indeed, is thy most valued helper, 0 Ahura Mazda!”

YASNA –“I shall take the awakened soul to the exalted abode with the help of the Good-Mind, Knowing the blissful rewards of the Wise Lord for righteous deeds. As long as I have power and strength I shall teach all to seek for Truth and Right.”

YASNA –“May the true-spoken word triumph over the false-spoken word.”

YASNA –“Through Thy power, 0 Lord, Make life renovated, real at Thy will.”

YASNA –“With Truth moving my heart, With Best Thought inspiring my mind, with all the might of spiritual force within me, I venerate Thee, 0 Mazda, with songs of Thy praise. And at the last when I shall stand at Thy Gate I shall hear the echo of my prayers from Thy Abode of Songs.”

YASSER ARAFAT- “Choose your friend carefully. Your enemy will choose you.”

YASSER ARAFAT –“I extend my congratulations to the Israeli people towards the Jewish new year. I hope this holiday will be the beginning of a new era of peace and security between the two peoples — the Israelis and Palestinians and other people m the region.”

YASSER ARAFAT –“Whoever stands by a just cause cannot possibly be called a terrorist.”

YEHUDI MENUHIN –“Music creates order out of chaos: for rhythm imposes unanimity upon the divergent, melody imposes continuity upon the disjointed, and harmony imposes compatibility upon the incongruous.”

YEVGENY YEVTUSHENKO –“Who never knew the price of happiness will not be happy.”

YIDDISH PROVERB –“The whole world is a dream, and death the interpreter.”

YIDDISH PROVERB –“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul?”

YIDDISH PROVERB –“With money in your pocket, you are wise and you are handsome and you sing well too.”

YITTA HALBERSTAM & JUDITH LEVENTHAL –“At times, all we have to do in life is show up, be present, and allow the magic to unfold.”

YOGA SUTRAS –“When one is established in non-injury, beings give up their mutual animosity in his presence.”

YOGI BERRA –“You got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.”

YOGIBERRA –“You should always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise, they won’t come to yours.”

YOHYA B. MU’AD AL RAZI- “Paradise is the prison of the sage, just as the world is the prison of the believers.”

YOKA DAISHI –“The Mind like a mirror is brightly illuminating and knows no obstructions, It penetrates the vast universe to its minutest crevices; All its contents, multitudinous in form, are reflected in the Mind, Which, shining like a perfect gem, has no surface, nor the inside.”

YORUBA PROVERB –“Lack of respect to the constituted authority is the source of most conflicts in the world.”

YORUBA PROVERB –“Lying does not mean that one could not be rich; Treachery does not mean you may not live to old age; But it is the day of death (judgment) about which one should be baffled.”

YORUBA PROVERB –“Offend me and I will question you — this is the medicine for friendship.”

YORUBA VERSE –“Only few people act in our interest in our absence, When we are not around. But in our presence, all display their love for us.”

YOSHIDA KENKO – “Ambition never comes to an end.”

YOSHIKO NOMURA –“The law of cause and effect without exception rules all events that take place in the phenomenal world. There is no effect without a cause and each effect becomes a new cause.”

YUL BRYNNER –“Girls have an unfair advantage over men: if they can’t get what they want by being smart, they can get it by being dumb.”

YURI GAGARIN –“To be the first to enter the cosmos, to engage, single-handed, in an unprecedented duel with nature—could one dream of anything more? When I orbited the Earth in a spaceship, I saw for the first time how beautiful our planet is, Mankind, let us preserve and increase this beauty, and not destroy it!”

Z.A.BHUTTO- “Democracy is a flexible art. What appears impossible today is possible tomorrow.”

ZACHARY SCOTT –“As you grow older, you’ll find the only things you regret are the things you didn’t do.”

ZADOK RABINWITZ –“A man’s dreams are an index to his greatness.”

ZAFARNAMA -“God is the Master of the earth and the sky: He is the Creator of all men, all places. He it is who creates all — from the feeble ant to the powerful elephant, and is the Embellisher of the meek and Destroyer of the reckless. His name is: “Protector of the meek”, And Himself He is dependent upon no one’s support or obligation. He has no twist in Him, no doubt. And, He shows man the Way to Redemption and Release, From the Guru’s.”

ZAHARIAS –“Winning has always meant much to me, but winning friends has meant the most.”

ZARATHUSTRA –“Courage begets strength by struggle with hardships. Courage grows from fighting danger and overcoming obstacles. Develop the courage to act according to your convictions, to speak what is true, and to do what is Right.”

ZARATHUSTRA –“Seek your happiness in the happiness of all. Regard the sorrows and sufferings of others as yours and hasten to assuage them.”

ZARATHUSTRA –“These two Primordial Principles in One, Of Light and Darkness, Good and 111, that seem Apart from one another, yet are bound Inseparably together, each to each In Thought, in Word, in Action, everywhere. Are they in operation; and the wise Walk on the side of Light, while the unwise follow the other until they grow wise? These ancient Two, in mutual wrestle-play Give birth to Twin- Desires, high and low, that shape as Hate-Mentality in some, in others as the Better Mind of Love. 0 Mighty Lord of Wisdom, Mazada! Supreme, Infinite, Universal Mind!, Ahura! thou that givest Life to all!,/ Grant me the power to control this , mind,/ This Lower Mind i of mine, this egoism, And put an end to all Duality,/And gain the reign of One as is desired/ Unconsciously by even the graceless ones,/ The evil sinners, in their heart of hearts.”

ZARATHUSTRA-“Courage begets strength by struggle with hardships. Courage grows from fighting danger and overcoming obstacles. Develop the courage to act according to your convictions, to speak what is true, and to do what is right.”

ZAUQ- “An increase in love increases the light in the world.”

ZELDA FITZGERALD- ‘I don’t want to live – I want to love first, and live incidentally.”

ZELDA FITZGERALD –“I don’t want to live- I want to love first and live incidentally.”

ZEN –“Life is the only thing worth living for.”

ZEN BUDDHISM –“A University Professor went to see Nan-in, a Zen Master, to find out more about Zen. As their meeting continued Nan-in was pouring Tea and continued to pour even though the cup was overflowing. The Professor cried. “Enough! No more will go in!” Nan-in replied, “Like this cup you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

ZEN BUDDHISM –“The world is like a mirror, you see? Smile and it smiles back.”

ZEN MASTER KYONG HO –“Accept the anxieties and difficulties of this life … Attain deliverance in disturbance.”

ZEN SAYING –“To know and not to do is not yet to know.”

ZEN STORY –“One day it was announced by Master Joshu that the young monk Kyogen had reached an enlightened state. Much impressed by this news, several of his peers went to speak with him. “We have heard that you are enlightened. Is this true?” they inquired. “It is”, Kyogen answered. “Tell us”, said a friend, “how do you feel?” “As miserable as ever”, replied the enlightened Kyogen.”

ZEN THOUGHT –“Before enlightenment —chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment — chop wood and carry water.”

ZHUANG ZI –“Life is finite, While knowledge is infinite.”

ZIG ZIGLAR – “If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them every where.”

ZIG ZIGLAR – “Many marriages would be better if the husband and the wife clearly understood that they are on the same side.”

ZIG ZIGLAR –“A lot of people have gone farther than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.”

ZIG ZIGLAR –“All of us perform better and more willingly when we know why we’re doing what we have been told or asked to do.”

ZIG ZIGLAR –“Kids go where there is excitement. They stay where there is love.”

ZIG ZIGLAR –“Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.”

ZSA ZSA GABOR –“A man in love is incomplete until he has married. Then he’s finished.”

ZSA ZSA GABOR- “Getting divorced just because you don’t love a man is almost as silly as getting married just because you do.”

ZSA ZSA GABOR –“Husbands are like fires. They go out if unattended.”

ZSA ZSA GABOR –“I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house.”

ZSA ZSA GABOR –“I know nothing about sex because I was always married.”

ZSA ZSA GABOR –“I want a man who’s kind and understanding. Is that too much to ask of a millionaire.”

ZSA ZSA GABOR –“I’m an excellent housekeeper. Every time I get a divorce, I keep the home.”

Mr. Ashok Sharma

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I Can’t Afford to Get Sick! I Have No Insurance!

April 25th, 2010 admin Posted in health reform 2 Comments »

Unfortunately, you are a member of a 46 million member club (and growing) here in the United States. The pandemic is so bad that the President of the United States addressed the issue in his State of the Union address and the governors of several states are wrestling with the issue every day.

The problems with the health care system in the Unites States are very well documented. In fact, the documentation with fill several libraries. Unfortunately, while this issue keeps growing little is or can be done to correct the problem. Insurance companies, lawyers and the medical community have political lobbies second to none. And while they even realize that medical reform will happen, their lobbyist are determined to slow it down at least, stop at best or maybe water it down in between. All this means is no real reform any time soon.

The cost of medical care is forcing consumers into bankruptcy or major debt to pay bills and in some cases causing some consumers to go without treatment or insurance. To give you an idea of the magnitude of the cost issue; the number of persons who went without coverage from the year 2000 to 2005 was seven million. It was not confined to either end of the age spectrum either with the majority of the uninsured being between 18 and 65 years of age. Now this is just the uninsured – not the “under insured” – which would add million more to our undesirable membership.

So what is causing this pandemic? Well some of our old friends and some new twists are shaping up in the health care industry. The number one reason for people going without health care coverage is COST. Double digit increases year after year how outstripped the economy, stocks and bond market, industrial growth and our income. In fact, it was reported recently that because of this increase of the cost of medical care, Americans have not really had an increase in pay for 25 years – it’s always cancelled by the rise of medical care.

This comes amid poor quality care and lost value. Many manufacturing plants could take lessons at the way that “production” at a hospital or doctor’s office is managed. The envy of the manufacturing world is the “in the door, out the door” time that has been achieved by insurance companies and hospitals. Yet, these groups still complain that they make no money and are being forced into bankruptcy themselves. Is it possible?

Outrageous lawsuits sometimes bordering on the “silly” actual have large awards returned. Insurances pay up (sometimes) and thus send up the costs of premiums to doctors and employers. As a result, employers are dropping or reducing the medical coverage of employees forcing them to go without or to shoulder more of the cost of insurance premiums.

A recent article by Dr. Karen Davis proposes strategies and efforts already under to achieve a health care system that provides affordable, accessible care for every American. And while these efforts are laudable it will be some time before they are widespread enough to make an impact.

Finally, the business market is taking control in an effort to force lower medical costs in the United States. “Medical outsourcing” has started to take hold. While not a new concept it has finally reached a point where their services are “preferred” over local hospitalization.

Savvy consumers have decided to turn from traditional hospitalization methods. They have found coordinated healthcare, five star treatments at costs almost 50% of the normal price in the United States. These outsourcing companies have added value to the field of insurance, medical and of all things – travel.

A recent interview with Global Health Care Facilitators (GlobalHCF.com) of Nashville Tennessee gave me an insight into the new wave of medical treatment. Coverage by CBS, NBC and several talk shows indicate the interest in this growing trend.

Companies like Global HCF specialize in 3 areas: medical procedures overseas, assisting employers and insurance companies reduce costs and by assisting families in need of assisted living homes. The success is measured in the number of companies that are reaching out for their services and the number of people they have helped.

Many companies have asked their employees to take advantage of the opportunities of off shore medical help thereby saving premiums and enjoying a small vacation. An interview with Steve and Carrie C. summed up the number of people who have followed this new business. They told of the cost of Carrie’s back surgery in Tennessee at $32,000 plus and the cost that was arranged for them. Global HCF was the lowest cost at $10,450 USD. This included a trip to India, recovery, all doctors fee’s, visa’s, taxi’s, food and a five star rated hotel for Steve while Carrie went through recovery. The quality of hospital, service and medical staff is excellent. Carrie said that as a registered nurse herself she found the “cost and care equivalent to that of the U.S.”

It is time that businesses, insurance companies, and insurance companies have to face the free market and economic pressures like their consumers. With choices the consumer will choose the best value for their money. Before we loose this edge in the United States we need to put a more realistic and affordable price tag on health care.

TJ Hall
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/i-cant-afford-to-get-sick-i-have-no-insurance-109479.html

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How Regulation of Electronic Communications Can and Should Use Competition Law to Balance Divergent Stakeholder Interests

April 23rd, 2010 admin Posted in health reform Comments Off

ISSUE ANALYSIES

Introduction

Telecom was identified as key priority for development after India got independence. But bureaucracy red-tape, ambiguities, lack of transparency along with weak independent regulator, jeopardized India’s development.  But Under pressure from domestic and foreign capital, international lending agencies, and foreign governments, India began to open its markets and divest its public sector enterprises in the 1980s and now Indian economy is on the path of resurgence. Progressive reforms such as industrial delicensing, removal of restrictions on foreign investments are the reasons for such economic growth. Such changes have had a positive impact on the telecommunication sector.

This report analysis telecommunication law dimensions influences, interpretations and implications. Then demonstrate how these regulations should use competition law to balance stake holders it also emphasis that introduction of transparent competition policies to India’s telecommunications sector is vital to the development and health of India’s economy.

Evolution of the Regulatory Framework

Industry structure before reform

Under the Indian constitution, only the central government can legislate on telecommunications. The central government has been the monopoly provider of telecommunications services through the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), which is under the jurisdiction of the central government’s Ministry of Communications.

Regulatory reform

Indian telecom regulatory reform can be divided in to 3 phase

Phase 1 ­- 1980s

India began the process of telecommunications reform during the 1980s, but until the 1990s it struggled to find reforms that would cause the performance of the industry to improve at a satisfactory rate. Reform started in 1986, when telecommunications was separated from postal services and some telephone services were corporatized. In 1986, telecommunications services were divided into three parts. Local service in Delhi and Mumbai was given to a corporatized state-owned enterprise, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL). The rest of local service and domestic long-distance service went to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), which remained a part of the Department of Telecommunications. Videsh Sanchar Nigam (VSNL) was created as a government-owned corporation to operate international telephone service.

Phase 2 – 1990 – 1998

The second phase started with liberalization of economy in early 1990’s and announcement of New Policy 1994 (NTP 94).

Phase 3 – 1999 – 2001

The NTP’94 failed because it did not address the fundamental causes. In addition to some of the objectives of NTP 1994 not being fulfilled, there was also far reaching developments in the recent past in the telecom, IT, consumer electronics and media industries world-wide. The Government of India recognizes that provision of world class telecommunications infrastructure and information is the key to rapid economic and social development of the country. As a result New Telecom Policy 1999 was introduced.

DIMENSIONS & INFLUENCES

Players in Regulation

India’s telecommunications sector is regulated by the Ministry of Communications through three government bodies — the Telecom Commission, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The Telecom Commission performs the executive and policy-making function, the DoT is the policy-implementing body while the TRAI performs the function of an independent regulator.

Telecom Policies

New Telecom Policy 1999

The New Telecom Policy 1999 (NTP99) was developed at the backdrop of two major events witnessed by the Indian economy after the reform process began in 1991. First, although NTP94 was a right step to bring reform in the telecommunications industry, it failed to achieve a desired goal until 1997. Second, immediately after assuming power, the BJP-led government was keen on bringing further reform in telecommunications to attain an effective and efficient communications sector.

NTP99 is a comprehensive and progressive telecom policy framework. It addresses the outstanding issues of telecommunications development and the challenges of modern telecommunications technology. NTP 99 recognises the crucial role of private sector investment in the development process of the sector and to bridge the much-needed financial resources gap. The NTP99 has endorsed policies under 5 policy frameworks:

• Framework for Services Deployment

• Framework for Licensing of Telecom Services

• Framework for Restructuring of Telecom Organisations

• Framework for Further Liberalisation of Services

Communications Convergence Bill-2001.

To facilitate development of national infrastructure for information based society. To provide a choice of services to the people and to address the recent technological developments and emerging convergence, it became necessary to bring in a comprehensive legislation based on convergence. Accordingly, the government of India in August, 2001 introduced ‘The Communications Convergence Bill-2001’.

The new proposed law seeks to establish the Communications Commission of India (CCI) as the super-regulator in India in the context of convergence of telecommunications, broadcasting, data communication, multimedia and other related technologies and services.  The objectives of the proposed CCI range from developing communications sector in a competitive environment and in consumer interests to making the communication services available at affordable costs to all.  It further aims to increase access to information for greater empowerment of citizens and hopes to make strides in the direction of establishing a modern and effective communication infrastructure taking into account the convergence of Information technology, media, telecommunications and consumer electronics. The Communications Commission of India (CCI) seeks to establish an open licensing policy and ensure a level playing field for all operators and to promote equitable, non- discriminatory interconnection across various networks.

Telecom and Competition Policy

License Regime

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is responsible for Policy, Licensing and Coordination matters relating to telegraphs, telephones, wireless, data, services and other like forms of communications. A telecom company is required to obtain a license from the DoT and comply with the guidelines and license conditions.

Competition

New Telecom Policy 1999 has shifted the focus of telecom industry towards competition, with spectrum fees being converted into revenue sharing agreement and additional entrants being licensed. From 2001, private players were allowed to provide national long distance services and in 2002, the international long distance market too was liberalized. Foreign Direct Investment limit was increased from 49 per cent to 74 percent in telecom services. India now like most countries employs telecommunications regulators or a combination of both telecommunications regulators and competition authorities to implement competition policy in telecommunications. Another step taken by the government to promote fair competition was formation of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) with the objective of providing an effective regulatory framework and adequate safeguards to ensure fair competition.

With a view to further strengthen the regulator the TRAI Act, 1997 was amended in the year 2000 and a separate body, ‘The telecom Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal’ (TDSAT) was constituted for resolution of disputes in telecom  sector.

Competition Act, 2002 (“Competition Act”)

The Competition Act was recently enacted to introduce further measures for facilitating a competitive environment. It plays an important role in telecommunication industries in India; the main areas of competition which the act focuses and governs with respect to telecommunication are.

 Anti Competitive Agreements

According to Section 3 No enterprise or association of enterprises or person or association of persons shall enter into any agreement in respect of 

production, supply, distribution, storage, acquisition or control of goods or provision of services, which causes or likely to cause an appreciable adverse effect on competition within India.

 

Prohibition of abuse of dominant position

According to Section 4 entity having dominant position is not per se bad or illegal, but abuse of such dominance is illegal. Dominance is said to be abused when there is an appreciable adverse effect on competition due to the actions of a dominant undertaking.

 Regulation of Combination

The Act is also designed to regulate the operation and activities of Combinations, a term which contemplates acquisition, mergers, joint ventures, take over or amalgamations. Section 5 of the Act mandates that No person or enterprise shall enter into a combination which causes or is likely to cause an appreciable adverse effect on competition within the relevant market in India and such a combination shall be void.

Under Section 7 of the act Competition Commission of India (CCI) is established which has been vested with the responsibility of eliminating practices having adverse effect on competition, promoting and sustaining competition, protecting the interest of the consumers, and ensuring freedom of trade carried on by other participants in India.

 

Telecom Regulation, Policies and its Impact

Significant progress has been achieved in the area of telecommunications in the last ten years of economic liberalisation followed by the Government of India. One of the important features of the liberalisation process in India was that the entire spectrum of telecom services was thrown open for the private sector and the operation of market dynamics. The fixed line subscriber’s number has increased every passing year. Perhaps the most dramatic development in this decade has been the introduction of cellular mobile telephone services by the private sector. In 1999, both mobile phones and private sector separately accounted for 5 per cent of total number of phones. In October 2004, mobile phones accounted for 50 per cent of total phones and the private sector accounted for 44 per cent of total phones.

The mobile sector has grown from around 10 million subscribers in 2002 to reach 150 million by early 2007 registering an average growth of over 90%. The other reason that has tremendously helped the telecom Industry is the regulatory changes and reforms that have been pushed for last 10 years by successive Indian governments. Even though the fixed line market share has been dropping consistently, the overall (fixed and mobile) subscribers have risen to more than 200 million by first quarter of 2007. The telecom reforms have allowed the foreign telecommunication companies to enter Indian market which has still got huge potential. International telecom companies like Vodafone have made entry into Indian market in a big way.

 

The table below shows the subscribers numbers for both GSM and CDMA.

GSM and CDMA subscription numbers: Year

GSM Subscribers (millions)

GSM Annual growth

CDMA Subscribers (millions)

CDMA Annual growth

2000

3.1

94%

-

-

2001

5.05

76%

-

-

2002

10.5

91%

0.8

-

2003

22.0

110%

6.4

700%

2004

37.4

70%

10.9

70%

2005

58.5

57%

19.1

75%

2006

105.4

80%

44.2

131%

2007

180.0

71%

85.0

92%

 

Regulations Policies and Consumers Interest

One of the main objectives of all the telecom policy and regulations was to achieve universal service covering all villages as early as possible. By the expression universal service was the provision of access to all people for certain basic telecom services at affordable and reasonable prices. Policies also aimed at widest permissible range of services to meet the customer’s demand at reasonable prices.

The process of liberalization and opening up the sector for competition gave way for cheaper call charges to consumers. International long distance (ILD) call prices have fallen from a peak of Rs90/Minute to less than Rs9.0/Minute. National long distance (NLD) tariffs have fallen from Rs40 to Rs1.0 in. Local calls on Landlines have just halved, Figure 1 shows the clear picture of fall in tariff.  While that on Mobiles have fallen from Rs14.0/Minute in 1996-97 to Rs0.5/Minute depending on the scheme now.

The Telephone Regulatory Authority of India is committed to protect the interest of consumers and for the purpose of this the authority has issued regulations directions and orders under the TRAI Act 1997. Some of the important directions and regulations are

·         Telecom Consumer’s Protection and Redressal of Grievances Regulations 2007.

·         Regulation on Quality of Services of Basic and Cellular Mobile Services 2005

·         Quality of Services on Broadband Services Regulation 2006.

·         Telecom Unsolicited Commercial Communication Regulation 2007

 

The full details of all these regulations and other policies can be found in TRAI website under “A Hand book for Consumer from the Telecom Regulator”.

 

CONCLUSION  

Indian telecommunications today benefits from among the most enlightened regulation in the region, and arguably in the world. The different regulations and policies have created an impressive forward-momentum in Indian telecommunications, resulting in a vigorously competitive and fast-growing sector.

Although India’s 88.62 million strong telephone network, including mobile phones, is one of the largest in the world, with the low telephone penetration rate of about 8.20 phones per hundred populations, the country offers vast scope for growth. While tele-density has risen sharply, India continues to lag far behind countries like Brazil and China, The rural market of India is very large, 70% of the population lives there.  We need to create a competitive market if want see some changes. The telecom scenario in India is victim to a fundamental conflict of interests among the diverse roles that the government is attempting to play. Telecom growth in the country has been hampered by the authoritarian attitude of the DoT with regard to choice of technology.

In order to catch up with other developing countries there is a need to maintain vigorous procompetitive efforts in terms of public policy, rapidly shift to new technologies, encourage entry of new players, and drive prices down through competition.

 

Swaroop Kolatala
http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/how-regulation-of-electronic-communications-can-and-should-use-competition-law-to-balance-divergent-stakeholder-interests-718345.html

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Understanding Chiropractic as an Alternative to Traditional Medicine

April 21st, 2010 admin Posted in health reform Comments Off

Many people may already hear about Chiropractic but not all of us are familiar with this term though it already existed for more than 112 years. Chiropractic is a form of alternative health care or complementary and alternative medicine that focuses on the structure of our body specifically to our spine, nerves, muscles and all its related functions.

The primary concept of Chiropractic is that the misalignment of the spine (subluxations) is the cause of many disorders or illnesses in our body. Chiropractic’s most significant contribution to health care is probably the discovery of therapeutic effects of spinal manipulation that are proven to help those people with muscular, skeletal and nervous ailments.

Chiropractic came in a Greek words cheir and praxis which literally means hand and action or done by hand. Chiropractic treatment primarily involves the use of hands to manipulate and adjust the structure of our body and it does not make use of any surgery or operation in treating spinal and muscular related ailments. The principle behind Chiropractic as alternative medical system was discovered by Daniel David Palmer. Chiropractic health care originally evolved in Unites States and is now a licensed form of health care in all its states. The Chiropractic treatment is likewise being practice in Canada, UK and to more than 100 nations across the world.

Though Chiropractic is considered as alternative or non-traditional form of health care and is clearly separated from the American Medical Association, Chiropractic practice is individually regulated by the government across the United States. Licensed individuals who practice chiropractic medical system are referred to as Chiropractors, chiropractic physicians or doctors of chiropractic.

To be a qualified Chiropractor, you need to have at least three years of pre-professional study in college prior to four year resident study in an accredited college of Chiropractic. As of today, the United States has 17 accredited chiropractic colleges in the USA. The accreditation of chiropractic schools is given by the Council on Chiropractic Education that is certified by the U.S. Department of Education.

After completing the degree of Chiropractic, they need to take a state licensure board examination in order to practice Chiropractic. Furthermore, majority of states in the US require Chiropractors to have continuing education credits to maintain their Chiropractic licenses.

The Chiropractic is also covered by majority of health maintenance organizations, private health care insurances and even the compensation systems of state workers. And from 35,000 Chiropractors in the United States way back 1980s, statistics said that there is now approximately 70,000 Chiropractors in the United States, 5000 in Canada and 1300 in the United Kingdom.

The practice styles of Chiropractors nowadays are divided into several Chiropractic health care approaches like traditional straight, mixer, objective straight and reform; but all of them strictly adhere to the precise adjustment of musculoskeletal of the body system and are using non-invasive or non-surgery treatments.

And one more good thing about Chiropractic is that there are continuous research studies to strengthen and expand the scientific understanding of this form of alternative medical system. An example of agency that supports researches for the advancement of Chiropractic is the National Center For Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Merry Jazz
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/understanding-chiropractic-as-an-alternative-to-traditional-medicine-115547.html

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Tourism in Nigeria (National Association of Omo Egbe Yoruba Descendants in North America(

April 19th, 2010 admin Posted in health reform Comments Off

Who are the Yoruba?

The first obvious answer to this question is the Yoruba are a nationality, numbering about 40 million, the majority of whom live in the South Western part of the state of Nigeria in West Africa. Obvious as this answer is, it is not wholly explanatory, and certainly, it is not without its own controversy. First, regarding its explanatory status. One has to add, that the Yoruba are people, that speak a common language, Yoruba, which belongs to the Kwa group of the Niger-Congo linguistic family, and it has about 12 dialects; that they are a well urbanized group with genius in arts as symbolized in the famous “Ife Bronzes”; that Yoruba people are also found in Togo, Benin Republic and in other parts of the world, including Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad, and the United States. Second, regarding its controversial status, one has to confront the question what makes the Yoruba a nationality, or a nation, not a tribe or clan, and how does one then mark a distinction between Yorubaland and Nigeria. To this last question, there is no better answer than the one provided by Obafemi Awolowo in 1947, to which a later section of this presentation will return. For now, it is necessary to answer the question: “Who are the Yoruba?” by focusing on some critical moments in Yoruba history and thought.

Address these and other issues by focusing on some critical moments in Yoruba
History.

1. The Oduduwa Dynasty and the Founding of the Nation.
Oduduwa is the legendary progenitor of the Yoruba. There are two variants of the story of how he achieved this feat. The first is cosmogonic, the second, political. The cosmogonic version also has two variants. According to the first variant of the cosmogonic myth, Orisanla (Obatala) was the arch-divinity who was chosen by Olodumare, the supreme deity to create a solid land out of the primordial water that constituted the earth and of populating the land with human beings. He descended from heaven on a chain, carrying a small snail shell full of earth, palm kernels and a five-toed chicken. He was to empty the content of the snail shell on the water after placing some pieces of iron on it, and then to place the chicken on the earth to spread it over the primordial water. According to the first version of the story, Obatala completed this task to the satisfaction of Olodumare. He was then given the task of making the physical body of human beings after which Olodumare would give them the breath of life. He also completed this task and this is why he has the title of “obarisa” the king of orisas. The other variant of the cosmogonic myth does not credit Obatala with the completion of the task. While it concedes that Obatala was given the task, it avers that Obatala got drunk even before he got to the earth and he was unable to do the job. Olodumare got worried when he did not return on time, and he had to send Oduduwa to find out what was going on. When Oduduwa found Obatala drunk, he simply took over the task and completed it. He created land. The spot on which he landed from heaven and which he redeemed from water to become land is called Ile-Ife and is now considered the sacred and spiritual home of the Yoruba. Obatala was embarrassed when he woke up and, due to this experience, he made it a taboo for any of his devotees to drink palm wine. Olodumare forgave him and gave him the responsibility of molding the physical bodies of human beings. The making of land is a symbolic reference to the founding of the Yoruba kingdoms, and this is why Oduduwa is credited with that achievement (Idowu, 1962).

According to the second version of the myth, there was a pre-existing civilization at Ile-Ife prior to its invasion by a group led by Oduduwa. This group came from the east, where Oduduwa and his group had been persecuted on the basis of religious differences. They came to Ile-Ife and fought and conquered the pre-existing Igbo (unrelated to the present Igbo) inhabitants led by Oreluere (Obatala). Obviously, there is a connection between the two versions of the story. The political one may be the authentic story of the founding of Ife kingdom through conquest. However, the myth of creation lends it a legitimacy that is denied by the conquest story; just as it appears that it is lent some credence by the fact that, as a result of the embarrassment it caused their deity, the followers of Obatala are forbidden from taking palm wine. Indeed the second version of the cosmogonic myth also appears to foreshadow the political variant. The claim that Obatala got drunk and the task of creation had to be performed by Oduduwa already has some political coloration which is now explicit in the political version of the tradition. What is crucial in both variants of the story is the role of Oduduwa as the founder of the Yoruba nation which is why the name cannot be forgotten. Oduduwa is the symbol of the nation, the rallying point for al those who subscribe to the Yoruba identity. The name Yoruba itself, according to historians Smith, Atanda and others, was fixed on us by our northern neighbors and later popularized by colonial publications. Before then, the “Anago” to which some Yoruba in the present Benin Republic and others in the new world still use to refer to themselves, was used to refer to most of the people called Yoruba today. A common origin and language, as well as common political and religious cultures made the Yoruba a nation long before any contact with Europeans and the advent of colonialism.

2. Moremi ‘s Patriotism and the Survival of the Nation Upon the death of Oduduwa, there was a dispersal of his children from Ife to found other kingdoms. These original founders of the Yoruba nation included Olowu of Owu (son of Oduduwa’s daughter), Alaketu of Ketu (son of a princess), Oba of Benin, Oragun of Ila, Onisabe of Sabe, Olupopo of Popo, and Oranyan of Oyo. Each of them made a mark in the subsequent urbanization and consolidation of Yoruba confederacy of kingdoms, with each kingdom tracing its origin to Ile-Ife.

After the dispersal, the aborigines, the Igbo, became difficult, and constituted a serious threat to the survival of Ife. Thought to be survivors of the old occupants of the land before the arrival of Oduduwa, these people now turned themselves into marauders. They would come to town in costumes made of raffia with terrible and fearsome appearances, and the Ife people would flee. Then the Igbo would burn down houses and loot the markets. Then came Moremi on the scene-like Deborah of the Old Testament. When no man could dare the Igbos, Moremi asked the Esinminrin river for help and promised to give offerings if she could save her people. The orisa told her to allow herself to be captured and to understudy the Igbo people. She did, and discovered that these were not spirits; only people with raffia for dress. She escaped, and taught her people the trick. The next time that Igbo people came, they were roundly defeated. Moremi then had to go back to Esinminrin to thank the gods. Every offering she offered was refused. On divination, she was told she had to give Oluorogbo, her only son. She did. The lesson of Moremi is the lesson of patriotism and selflessness. The reward may not be reaped in one’s life time. Moremi passed on and became a member of the Yoruba pantheon . The Edi festival celebrates the defeat of the Igbo and the sacrifice of Oluorogbo till today.

3. The Oranmiyan Adventures, Afonja Treachery, Internal Division, Enslavement and the Fall of the Nation. Oranmiyan was the last of the Oduduwa offsprings. But he was the most adventurous and the founder of Oyo Kingdom. On some accounts, he was the third ruler of Ife as successor to Oduduwa. But he later decided to avenge the expulsion of his father from the East, and so, he led an expedition. After many years on the road, and as a result of disagreement between him and his people, he could not go further. Feeling too ashamed to go back, he appealed to the King of Nupe for a land to found his kingdom. He was obliged, and that land became the nucleus of Old Oyo Kingdom. Oranmiyan, taking the title of Alafin, succeeded in raising a very strong military and effectively expanded his kingdom. His successors, including Sango, the mythical god of thunder, Aganju and Oluasho were also as strong. Peace and tranquility prevailed during the reign of Abiodun, though it also experienced the decline of the army. (SONG). Awole Arogangan was Abiodun’ s successor and it was during his reign that trouble started for the kingdom. He was forced to commit suicide; but before his death he was said to have pronounced a curse on all Yoruba, that they will not unite and that they will be taken captives.

Afonja was the Kakanfo, the generalsimo of the Army, in the northern Yoruba town of Ilorin, during the reign of Awole and his successor. Afonja refused to recognize the new king, and invited the Fulani who were then leading a jihad to the south, to assist him against the king. They did, but he did not survive himself, because the Fulani, after helping him defeat the Alafin also turned against him. They fired numerous arrows at him and his dead body was stood erect on those arrows as they stuck into his body. The treachery of Afonja marked the beginning of the end of the Oyo empire and with it the decline of the Yoruba nation. Civil war erupted among the various Yoruba kingdoms: Oyo, Ijesa, Ekiti, Ijaiye, Abeokuta and Ibadan. As this was going on, Dahomey on the west and the Borgu on the north were also posing trouble for the Yoruba kingdoms until the intervention of the British and the imposition of colonial rule.

Those who argue that there was no consciousness of a common Yoruba identity until the 19th century may be referring to these civil war episodes in the life of the nation. But they forget that these people, in spite of the civil war, share a sense of common origin and common language. And it is to be noted that the so-called peace that was imposed by the British could not have lasted had there not been a sense of consciousness of coming from a common origin.

THE GROUP OF YORUBA INDIGENE CALLS FOR TRULY INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION

 

EGBÉ OMO YORÙBÁ

N

ATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF YORÙBÁ DESCENDANTS IN NORTH AMERICA

USA AND CANADA

3840 BLADENSBURG ROAD

COTTAGE CITY, MD 20722

Internet:

www.Yorùbánation.org e- mail: info@Yorùbánation.org

EGBÉ OMO YORÙBÁ CALLS FOR A TRULY INDEPENDENT

NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION

For Immediate Release

Contacts: Adeola Òdúsànyà (813) 309.4850

Bólájí Oláríbigbé (904) 612.8222

COTTAGE CITY, MD, August 18, 2006.

“dire state” of the health of Honorable Alhaji Rauf Arégbésolá, the Egbé Omo Yorùbá, National Association of Yorùbá Descendants in

North America (Egbé) has decided to restate and expand its Communiqué issued on August 14, 2006. We once again use this opportunity

to call on all Nigerians, Yoruba, Obas’, Yoruba Leaders, political aspirants and law enforcement to do whatever they can to prevent a state

of emergency being declared anywhere in Nigeria. We do not want a reoccurrence of the “wetie” era, but we are concerned that history

may already be repeating itself.

…Due to current and recent developments at home, including but not limited to the news of the

TAMPA, Florida, August 14, 2006.

(Egbé) held its 14

America. In attendance were delegates from 18 member-chapters from all geopolitical regions of North America.

At the general assembly, the opening address on the convention theme “

for Development

Oládàpò Odúnlámì gave the State of the Egbé Address. Other speakers included Òtúnba Olú Awótésù former Minister for

Agriculture, Chief Bísí Àkàndé, former Governor of Òsun State, Professor Mobólájí Àlùkò of Egbé Ìsòkan Yorùbá

Washington DC, President Nigerian Democratic Movement and the foremost political commentator in the Diaspora, Chief

Àlàó Adédayò, Publisher Aláròyé Yorùbá Newspapers, Mr. Yínká Òdúmákin, Publicity Secretary of the Afénifére and Mr.

Tóyìn Olánrewájú, President Midland Financial Services.

His Royal Highness, Oba Adéjuyìgbé Adéfúnmi of Òyótúnjí chaired the 11th Excellence Awards banquet which was held on

Saturday night and the Keynote Speaker for that event was Senator Olálékè Mámora, representing the Lagos East Senatorial

District and who is also the former speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly. Other speakers and attendees included

Honorable Adé Adégbénjó, Member of the National House of Assembly, Dr. Osadebe Anam who represented Dr. Orji Uzor

Kalu, Governor of Abia State, Nigeria, Dr. Mohammed Ladan, President of Zumunta, USA and Dr. Olú Òtúbùsìn, power

attorney and former President of the Egbé.

After deliberations from the three-day event, the Egbé made the following Observations and Resolutions:

The Egbé observes with great consternation:

1. The federal government’s continued over bearing influence on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

through the use of the executive power over funding for INEC amongst other things.

2. The developing purported plan by the President Olúségun Obásanjó led administration to hand over power to

an interim government following its failure to secure a third term mandate. President Obásanjó and the Nigerian Legislators

should be mindful that their terms expires in 2007, and therefore should as a matter of urgency resist any undemocratic and

slick attempt to manipulate and extend this deadline.

3. Statements made by President Obásanjó and the PDP to the effect that the 2007 presidential elections would in some

fashion seek to exclude Yorùbá aspirants and candidates due to Obásanjó “occupation” of the Yorùbá presidential slot from

1999-2007.

4. The lack of an electoral timetable and guidelines from INEC with less than a year to the general elections. Also,

based on the 2003 history and performance by five of the six Electoral Commissioners appointed last June to the Yorùbá

States, the Egbé is gravely concerned by the appointments.

5. The rampant and sporadic political assassinations and lack of tolerance over political differences amongst our

people. This continues to lead to wanton arrests, intimidation and barbaric killings of such political opponents. To that effect,

…Egbé Omo Yorùbá, National Association of Yorùbá Descendants in North Americath Annual Yorùbá National Convention last weekend in the City of Tampa, Florida, United States ofYorùbá Homeland and Diasporas: Joining Hands” was given by its National President, Adéolá Òdúsànyà, after which the National General Secretary,

Communiqué of the 2006 Yoruba National Convention

August 14, 2006

Restated on August 18, 2006

Page 2 of 2

the Egbé cites the recent killing of Chief Fúnsó Williams in Lagos State, Dr. Báyò Dáramólá in Èkìtì State and the detention

of Lagos State Commissioner for Public Works and Infrastructure, Alhaji Rauf Arégbésolá in Òsun State and notes that such

acts of blood-letting are uncivil, undemocratic, disgraceful and unacceptable within Yorùbáland.

6. The continued systematic destruction of the Yorùbá agricultural economy and infrastructure. With great interest, the

Egbé notes that prior to the petroleum era, the main stay of Nigerian economy was centered on agriculture, with most of the

production coming from the Western States, but the structure that carried the country in the pas t, continues to undergo a

deliberate and intentional destruction in order to undermine and reduce the influence of the Yorùbá on the Nigeria economy.

7. The continued detention of Òtúnba Gàní Adams and Dr. Frederic Fáseùn leaders of the Yorùbá stabilization group.

The Egbé believes this is a deliberate attempt by the Administration to dampen the fighting spirits of well meaning Nigerians

that are bold enough to stand up and challenge the dictatorial tendencies of the Government; that this as an attempt by those

who do not wish Yorùbá well to disorganize this Yorùbá stabilization group prior to the upcoming national elections; and the

Egbé views the charges of “treasonable felony” against these two Yorùbá leaders as frivolous, baseless and unfounded.

Therefore, the Egbé:

RESOLVED THAT

INEC and allow it to do its job of conducting free and fair elections in the short time it has left in order to preserve the

Nigerian fledging democracy and the idea of an interim government is unacceptable and should be terminated immediately.

We encourage all citizens and lover of democratic ideals everywhere, to pressure the Nigerian legislature and other leaders,

to stay the current path to succession through free and fair democratic elections; and be it further

, President Olúségun Obásanjó and other powers that be, release the shackles and stranglehold over

RESOLVED THAT

be true to its principles and ensure that the electoral process is not compromised in any way or fashion. We put INEC on

notice that the resident electoral commissioners currently assigned to the Yorùbá States are unacceptable because, being all

holdovers from the ignominious 2003 elections, they have proven to be biased, without integrity or credibility and the Egbé if

necessary will use all means available to it to challenge any electoral pronouncements made by these commissioners. The

Egbé also puts all Police Commissioners assigned to Yorùbá States on notice that any acts to harass the masses during the

elections or to unduly influence the elections in anyway will not be tolerated; and be it further

, INEC, whose guiding principles are, Transparency, Integrity, Credibility, Impartiality and Dedication,

RESOLVED THAT,

parties in Nigeria, including the Presidency, irrespective of President Obásanjó presidency from 1999-2007; and be it further

all credible and worthy aspirants from Yorubaland should vie for all political positions in all political

RESOLVED THAT

cause there to be havoc and unrest in our motherland. We also ask for a cessation on all political killings and riots in

Yorùbáland and in Nigeria. We again remind our legislators that there is dire need for the decentralization of the Nigerian

Police and the creation of States’ or regional police to ensure that the basic constitutional right of every Nigerian to live in

peace and safety is assured; and be it further

, all Yorùbá including our elders be vigilant and not allow forces that do not wish the Yorùbá well, to

RESOLVED THAT

adjudicated expeditiously. Particularly, we ask that the Chief Báyò Òjó, Ministry of Justice ensure that the case against

Òtúnba Gàní Adams, Dr. Frederic Fáseùn and others detained with them be adjudicated or dismissed without further delay.

We also specifically urge that the health and safety of Alhaji Rauf Arégbésolá, a seasoned and well-tested friend of our Egbe,

be ensured in his current travails with the political machinery of Òsun State government. We also use this opportunity to

plead with all political intimidators, murderers and or harassers to desist from such actions immediately and be it further

, all political prisoners detained unjustly and under false pretenses are released or have their cases

RESOLVED THAT,

over the loss of their worthy fathers, sons and benefactors, and pray that such days of blood and tears no longer re-occur. We

continue to express our disappointment that the killers in our political midst, starting from those of Chief Bólá Ìgè, have not

been found, and urge that they be hunted down and brought to justice.

The Egbé calls on all Yorùbá, to work together to rebuild Yorùbáland and reform our processes including the process for

selecting our political representatives and making them accountable to us. We further advocate for the harnessing of all

Yorùbá resources, be it natural or human any where in the world, for the actualization of a self-sufficient Yorùbá nation.

More than ever, we ask all Nigerians to join us in advocating for smooth transition and a new administration next in 2007.

we express our deepest condolences to the families of Chief Fúnsó Williams and Dr. Báyò Dáramólá

//Signed,

Adéolá Òdúsànyà, National President

Bólájí Oláríbigbé, National Secretary Public Affairs

 

oyedepo sesan samuel

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